The Last Stand
by tamilnadu09
Summary: "It's okay to love them both." Takes place after 2x22: Because every choice has an unforeseen consequence...D/E.
1. Girlfriends Past

**Disclaimer: **I don't own TVD or any of its characters.

**A/N: **a new fic to get us through the next four months ;)

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><p>It was all very anticlimactic.<p>

"What do you mean you can see _dead people_?" Elena demanded, squinting at her brother in concern. "You mean you had a nightmare?"

"No," Jeremy said slowly, impatience creeping into his tone. "I mean I can actually _see_ them. Anna and Vicki. They were both here and I saw them with my own two eyes!"

Elena shot a glance over at Alaric, who was sitting at the kitchen table. He raised both hands in a surrendering gesture, "Sorry, Elena. I didn't see anything last night." He hesitated, "But, of course, I don't mean to suggest that Jeremy isn't telling the truth…"

Jeremy huffed out a breath, "Are you guys honestly telling me that you don't think there's the slightest possibility I'm _not_ the crazy one? I mean, we live in Mystic Falls!"

"Okay," Elena said amicably, "You're right. In a town of vampires, werewolves, and witches—well, there obviously could be other things that we don't know about."

"Thank you," Jeremy threw up his arms in relief, "You believe me."

Elena shifted, "I believe that you _thought _you saw Anna and Vicki…"

Jeremy's expression grew angry, "Elena—"

"Jer, they're both dead! And not the kind of dead you can come back from either—they were both staked!"

"You think I don't know that?"

Elena turned to Alaric for help, her gaze pleading. He cleared his throat, seemingly uncomfortable. "So, uh, what exactly did you see? I mean, were they…human?"

Jeremy frowned, thinking.

"Or were they still vampires? Or…ghosts?"

"I woke up because I…heard something," Jeremy began hesitantly, "But t-they moved so fast."

"So vampires?" Alaric prompted, but Jeremy shook his head.

"I don't know what they were."

Elena placed her hands on her hips, looking at Alaric accusingly for buying into Jeremy's story. "Sometimes," she began pointedly, "When someone loses a person close to them…their mind tries to overcompensate by—"

"I'm not crazy," Jeremy interrupted, glaring at Elena. "I'm not _making things up _because of Jenna or John or…"

"No one is calling anyone crazy," Alaric cut in, "Elena, why don't you call Bonnie and tell her that Jeremy is, er, having some unexpected side effects?"

"No need, I already texted her and told her to come over," Jeremy replied, glancing down at his phone. As if on cue, the doorbell rang.

Elea sighed and walked over to answer it. She smiled at Bonnie reassuringly, but Bonnie's worried frown never wavered. "What happened?" she asked urgently, "Is Jeremy okay?"

"He's fine…"

"Hey," Jeremy walked into the room, looking startled when Bonnie wrapped him in a tight hug. "Hey," he lowered his voice, pressing a kiss to her forehead, "Everything's fine."

She pulled back, "What's the big emergency, then?" She looked over at Elena, "Is Damon okay?"

"Still recovering," Elena answered quickly, averting her eyes from Bonnie's probing gaze. "I think Caroline is helping him out."

Bonnie nodded, turning back to Jeremy with a questioning look.

"See, the thing is," Alaric stepped in when no one else spoke, "Jeremy thinks he can see…well, I mean, he _saw_—"

"Anna and Vicki," Jeremy finished in an oddly defiant tone. "Last night. I heard something moving around in the house and when I got downstairs…there they were."

"Wh-what?" Bonnie's eyes widened, "But they're—"

"Dead. Yeah, we know," Elena crossed her arms. "Do you know if the spell you did had any…other effects?"

Bonnie involuntarily glanced at Alaric before she spoke again, choosing her words carefully. "Emily Bennett and the other witches…they weren't happy with me. They didn't want me to use their power to save Jeremy."

"What?" Elena frowned, "Wait a second, then how...?"

"I begged them," Bonnie said quietly, "I pleaded with Emily to help me. I told her how much Jeremy meant to me…that she couldn't just _let _him die like that."

"And she changed her mind?" Elena asked slowly, struggling to understand. "Why?"

"For a price," Bonnie corrected in a heavy voice, her shoulders sagging. "She said there would be a consequence."

"And you didn't think that would be an important fact to mention?" Jeremy snapped, grabbing Bonnie's shoulders. "What did you think the price would be?"

"I t-thought," Bonnie took a deep breath, "I thought they would want an exchange of life. Mine for yours."

Elena shook her head, her expression turning disapproving. "Bonnie, we couldn't do any of this without you," she said softly, meeting her friend's gaze squarely. "Jeremy and I…we don't have a lot of people left in our lives. So, I beg you, _please _stop trying to get yourself sacrificed!"

"It's not like I _want _to die, Elena!" Bonnie returned, her eyes shining with unshed tears. But her voice stayed strong. "I told you before. I would do anything to keep the people I love safe. I know you of all people understand that concept."

"But—"

"If that was the only way to save Jeremy," Bonnie interrupted, her gaze steely, "Then so be it."

"_No," _Jeremy protested, "I would never want you to die for me, Bonnie."

"All in all," Alaric said loudly before Bonnie could respond, "That appears to be a moot point. Bonnie didn't die, and neither did anyone else. The consequence appears to be that Emily Bennett brought back Anna and Vicky, instead."

Bonnie sat down on the sofa, looking thoughtful. "Witches, even powerful ones, can't raise the truly dead," she murmured. "Forget being staked, Anna _burned _in that fire. There's nothing that could bring her back."

"So what are you saying?" Jeremy demanded, "Are you saying that I saw their _ghosts_?"

"Well what did they say to you?" Bonnie asked, looking nervous, "Any clues?"

"They said my name," Jeremy answered after a moment, a shadow passing over his eyes. "That's all."

"They spoke to you?" Elena stopped pacing to stare at her brother, "You didn't say that before."

"There's one way to find out for sure," Alaric said slowly, looking around the room. "Vicki has a grave site, right?"

Jeremy looked slightly sick, "You want to dig up her grave?"

"It's a plan," Elena said after a minute, "We'll need Stef—" she broke off, her breath hitching. "I mean..."

"Jeremy and I will do it," Alaric offered quietly, "It'll be best to keep this just between us for the time being."

"He's right," Bonnie agreed, "Vikki Donovan was Tyler's girlfriend and Matt's sister...we can't tell anyone what Jer saw, especially not Caroline or Damon."

"So. Tonight, then," Alaric stood up, nodding briefly at Elena. "I'll meet you guys back here before midnight."

He left, and the three of them sat in silence for a few minutes.

"No word from Stefan yet?" Bonnie asked hesitantly, and Elena shook her head.

"From what Katherine said, it sounded like Klaus wasn't planning on killing Stefan at all. So, I guess that's good news…" Elena trailed off.

"So, Katherine skipped town?" Jeremy muttered disdainfully, "Good riddance."

Elena swallowed, "She brought the cure, even though she didn't have to. I guess we have to be grateful for that."

"How long till Damon recovers fully?" Bonnie asked, turning to look at Elena. "Did he seem to be getting better when you left him?"

"Y-yeah," Elena cleared her throat, "He was a lot stronger and more coherent when I left. It shouldn't be long."

Bonnie nodded with a genuine smile, "I'm glad."

"Come on," Jeremy held his hand out, "I'll walk you home."

"Thanks," Bonnie hopped off the sofa and grabbed her things. "I'll see you tonight, Elena."

As soon as they left, Elena reached over to look at her cell phone.

NO NEW MESSAGES.

"Come on, Stefan," Elena let the phone slide out of her hand and clatter onto the coffee table, "_Where are you_?"

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><p><strong>*if you've read my fics before you know how it works: PLOT + Delena :)<strong>

**p.s. what'd you guys think of the finale? i thought episodes 2x21 & 2x22 were equally amazing, though in different ways. as always, thanks for reading and be sure to drop a review! **


	2. Sacred Balance

**A/N: **wow thank you for all the alerts/reviews! also- i've changed the name of the fic to better reflect the main theme of this story :)

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><p>Elena shifted on the sofa, her eyelids fluttering with the remnants of a dream.<p>

_It's okay to love them both. _

Katherine.

_I did. _

"Elena?"

Her eyes flew open to see Jeremy hovering above her, looking confused. "Jer?" Elena sat up on the couch, wondering when exactly she had fallen asleep. "What's going on?"

"You tell me," Jeremy sat down next to her, "You looked like you were having a pretty intense nightmare."

"It wasn't a…" Elena hesitated, "I was just remembering something Katherine said to me before she left."

"Okay," Jeremy drew out the word when Elena didn't say anything else. "Well, you better get ready. Ric and Bonnie will be here soon."

Elena frowned and glanced up at the clock. "Jer! Why didn't you wake me? I must've been sleeping for _hours_!"

"Hey, don't kill the messenger," Jeremy leapt out of arm's reach, "I just got back!"

"Back?" she asked suspiciously, "From where?"

"Bonnie's," he replied nonchalantly, walking into the kitchen just as the doorbell rang. "Could you get that?"

Elena muttered under her breath, attempting to smooth down her hair as she sleepily pulled the door open. "You guys are early—_oh_."

"Expecting someone else?"

"Damon," Elena swallowed, stepping backwards to look him over. "You seem...better."

"Good as new," Damon said back, with a hint of his usual swagger. When she didn't say anything else, he lowered his voice. "Look, I was wondering if we could talk?"

Elena averted her gaze, feeling oddly trapped. "I don't know if this is such a good time." She looked back up at him, and felt her breath catch in her throat at the intensity of his gaze.

"Damon!" Jeremy greeted loudly as he walked back into the room, "Good to see you back in the world of the living...well, so to speak."

"Same to you," Damon said after a moment, forcing a grin onto his face. "What is this, like the third time you've died?"

"Yeah, I'm trying to kick the habit," Jeremy returned, his mouth curving upwards at Elena's expression.

"Are you guys actually _joking _about almost dying?"

"In all seriousness," Damon's voice sobered, "Caroline told me what happened...apparently the sheriff was aiming for me and I moved out of the way. Jeremy, it's my fault that—"

"No," Jeremy cut him off, "It wasn't your fault. You were delirious; you weren't thinking. The only reason I got shot is because the sheriff pulled the trigger. No one else is to blame."

Damon appeared to want to say something else, but he only nodded briefly instead. "So," he shifted, "I was wondering if I could talk to Elena for a minute?"

"Sure," Jeremy began to head upstairs, when there was another knock on the door. "Oh, damn..."

Elena felt her cheeks heat up uncomfortably as she pulled open the door to reveal Bonnie and Alaric, both of whom were armed with shovels. "Ready to go?" Ric walked in, stopping on the threshold when he saw Damon. "Oh, you're...here."

Bonnie walked in after Alaric, blinking rapidly. Elena shrugged helplessly, closing the door behind them. "I didn't know he was coming over."

"Am I interrupting something?" Damon demanded, gazing at the shovels before frowning at Alaric. "What are you guys up to?"

Elena sighed, "You might as well have a seat. It's a long story."

"No," Jeremy disagreed, "It's a short story." Bonnie picked up the narrative, ignoring the bewildered expression on Damon's face.

"You can't be serious," Damon frowned when Bonnie had finished. He glanced over at Jeremy, "You can see ghosts?"

"If that's what they are, then yes...but it's just been those two."

Damon tilted his head, "Well, if it's any consolation, I can _hear _your heart beating...so you're definitely human."

"Jeremy is _alive_, Damon," Bonnie said pointedly, "I know he is."

"Okay, okay," Damon held up his hands, "I was just checking." He walked over and grabbed the shovel out of Bonnie's hands. "Look, there's no need for a party down at the cemetery right now. Me and Ric can take care of this. The rest of you should just stay here."

"I should go," Jeremy protested, but Damon shook his head.

"There's no need," Damon began to walk over to the door. "Besides, me and Ric have some catching up to do."

"We do?"

"Oh yes," Damon said casually, "I believe I might owe you a thank you for not killing me when I asked you to."

Alaric rolled his eyes and the two of them left, bantering lightly.

Elena stared after them with a frown, "Damon asked Alaric to kill him?"

Bonnie didn't appear to be listening, "There's something I have to tell you guys."

"What is it?" Elena asked immediately, "Is something wrong?"

Bonnie took a deep breath, "I know what Damon and Alaric are gonna find down at the cemetery. They're going to find Vikki Donovan's body; she'll still be down there."

"How do you know that?" Jeremy demanded, "I thought the whole point of this midnight mission was to—"

"I went to the witch's burial ground today," Bonnie interrupted him, "After you guys told me what was going on."

"When did you have time to do that?"

She looked apologetic, "When you walked me home, I put a spell on you to fall asleep. I knew it would be dangerous if you tried to come with me."

"Dangerous for _me_?" Jeremy's voice rose in anger, "What about you? You went there by yourself?"

"Everyone, stop," Elena cut across their argument. "Bonnie, what did Emily say?"

Bonnie didn't say anything for a moment, but she reached across the sofa to hold Jeremy's hand. "S-she said that by bringing Jeremy back to life, I upset the balance of nature. He was meant to die..." she trailed off.

Elena frowned in confusion, "I don't understand. If Jeremy being alive tipped the scale, then doesn't someone else have to die to take his place?"

"That's what I thought," Bonnie said quietly, "But Emily said it didn't work that way. She said that Jeremy was brought back b-because of my love for him. So, now he's—he's..." her eyes filled with tears, and she let go of Jeremy's hand to cover her face. "I'm so sorry."

Elena and Jeremy were instantly at her side. "Hey, it's okay," Elena said in a soothing voice, "Just tell us what happened...what else did Emily say?"

When Bonnie looked up again, her cheeks were tear-stained. "Emily said...my love brought him back from the brink of death. But as long as he's alive, he will always feel the pull from the world of the dead. W-when he was brought back, nature had to balance the scale somehow so...it played on the reason I brought him back."

"Love?"

Bonnie nodded, staring at the ground. "_My _love brought him back to life, but _his _loves were brought back to convince him to join them...where he belongs."

"What?" Jeremy stood up, his eyes wide. "Anna and Vikki are here to convince me to...die? Wait, so they really are ghosts?"

"Spirits if you will," Bonnie said, her voice nearing a whisper, "Only you can see them, only you can hear them..."

On that ominous note, the three of them lapsed into silence. Elena didn't know how much time had passed, when there was a quiet knock on the door. "They must be back from the cemetery," Jeremy muttered, getting up to open the door. Damon and Alaric walked in, looking a little worse for wear.

"Well, good news," Damon announced, "Vikki Donovan is _not _a zombie." When everyone merely stared at him, he elaborated, "Her body is still there." He frowned at the somber room, "Who died?"

This time it was Jeremy who told the story, with Bonnie filling in the gaps. Alaric crossed his arms when they were done, "Couldn't you have told us this _before _we went down to the cemetery in the middle of the night? Could have saved us a trip..."

"I wanted to make sure," Bonnie said in an undertone, "I'm sorry."

"It's late," Alaric said when no one spoke, "Maybe this will all look better in the morning." He began to head towards the door, but Elena cleared her throat.

"You know, Ric, it's pretty late. You could always just crash here," she offered, exchanging a look with Jeremy.

"Yeah, I'll fix up the guest room for you," Jeremy stood up and Alaric smiled briefly at Elena before following.

"I'll be upstairs," Bonnie said, glancing between Damon and Elena. "If that's okay."

Elena nodded, taking a seat on the sofa. Damon didn't say anything for a few minutes, and she looked up. He was staring at her with the exact same intense expression he had worn when he showed up on her doorstep, and she shivered involuntarily. "You wanted to talk?"

"Thank you."

Elena's mouth dropped open at the amount of sincerity and gratitude Damon managed to inject into just two words. "W-what?"

He sat down next to her, "For being there for me when I needed you the most."

She considered his words before giving him a small smile, "You're welcome."

Damon smiled back at her, mentally kicking himself for his next words which would ruin the moment. "I'm all better now," he pointed out unnecessarily.

"Yes," Elena agreed, frowning slightly.

"I'm going to find Stefan."


	3. Immortal Words

_CHAPTER 3: IMMORTAL WORDS_

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><p><em>'Whether you are now reading this as a human<br>Or as a vampire,  
>I love you all the same,<br>As I've always loved you  
>And always will.'<em>

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><p>Damon was sitting upstairs in Stefan's room, staring intently at the large flat-screen TV. He flipped through all the news channels on a rotating basis, on the lookout for any stories about mass murders or missing people that would lend a clue as to where exactly Klaus and Stefan had disappeared to.<p>

So far, there had been nothing.

Undeterred, he reached out to flip to another channel when he heard someone knocking on the front door. Forgetting about the TV, he instantly blurred down the stairs and pulled the door open.

"Damon."

"Caroline…and Sheriff Forbes," Damon crossed his arms, leaning against the doorway. "Should I go get my bulletproof vest?"

"_Damon_," Caroline chastised, "My mom just wants to talk. Can we come in?" He glanced over at the sheriff, who looked—understandably—nervous. Damon rolled his eyes and stepped back into the hallway. The sheriff avoided his gaze as she walked past him, but Caroline paused and laid a hand on his arm. "Thank you, Damon," she said quietly, a soft smile on her lips. "This means a lot to me."

"You helped me recover," he said simply, echoing Katherine's sentiments. "I owed you one."

The two of them moved into the living room, and Caroline took a seat next to her mother on the sofa. Damon sat across from them in the armchair and leaned back casually. "I would offer you a drink, but I don't condone underage _drinking_," he winked in Caroline's direction, and she made a face at him.

"You seem, ah," Liz coughed, "Much better from the last time I...saw you."

"Yes, well, imminent death will do that to a person."

"My daughter told me about the werewolf bite…you've made a full recovery, then?"

Damon nodded, glancing over at Caroline. "Exactly how much have you told mommy dearest?"

"Everything," Caroline licked her lips, shooting a hesitant look in Damon's direction. "I wanted to be completely honest with her a-and she understands." Caroline smiled as she reached over and took her mother's hand, "She knows now that she was wrong about vampires. Some of us can be good."

"The reason I came here," the sheriff began,"Is because, well, I wanted to apologize to you. Face to face."

"Apologize?"

"I'm sorry for trying to kill you," she said bluntly, "From what Caroline has told me, all of you have done a lot to help this town and I shouldn't have let old prejudices cloud my judgment. Caroline always has been, and always will be, my daughter." Liz sent a small smile in Damon's direction, "And you have been a good friend, Damon. I am...truly sorry."

It was quite a speech for the sheriff, and Damon was momentarily speechless. "So, you're serious? You're not fulfilling some secret vendetta to rid the town of vampires?"

Liz shook her head, "Look, I just want to say that I will do whatever I can to help you find this, er, Klaus person and your brother. You can use whatever resources you need from the police department. It's the least I can do after all the...trouble I have caused."

At that moment, there was a sound at the front door and Elena walked into the living room. She paused when she saw who was there, her expression turning cold. "I didn't realize you were having company over," she said stiffly to Damon, "I'll just wait upstairs—"

"Elena," the sheriff stood up, a pleading look in her face. "I know you blame me for Jeremy almost dying…"

"He did die," Elena corrected, crossing her arms. "If Bonnie hadn't saved him, then you would have killed the _last _family member I have left! And all because of what? You trying to kill a dying man?" Her voice rose in anger and she pointed a shaking finger in Damon's direction, "He was sick; he needed help! But you locked me in here and—"

"Elena, please," Caroline stood up as well, her voice begging. "My mother didn't know everything that she knows now. She didn't mean to…"

"I know what I did was unforgivable," the sheriff interrupted, speaking only to Elena. "But I will do whatever it takes to make this right.

Elena rummaged in her purse and pulled out a piece of paper. "This is the note my father, John, left me when he died. When he sacrificed himself to save me. I want you to read it."

Liz carefully opened the letter and read it quickly. Her eyes filled with tears as she reached the end of the note, and she took a deep breath as she handed it back to Elena. "Why would you want me to read that?"

"Because," Elena glanced at Caroline, "I wanted you to see how a true parent should feel. I don't know if what you're saying now is an act, or it's the real thing. But you know that John Gilbert hated vampires as much as you did, probably more." She gestured at the note, "For him to say that I would still have his unconditional love whether I was human or a vampire..._that _is how you should feel about Caroline."

Silent tears streaked down the sheriff's face, but she nodded. "I understand, Elena. Thank you."

Elena didn't smile, "Forgiveness...it'll take some time."

"I know," Liz touched her arm briefly as she headed out the door. She paused as she reached the hallway, "Oh, Elena. I hate to bring this up, but...you'll probably be getting a visit from Child Services at some point."

"What?" Elena whirled around, "Why?"

The sheriff looked highly uncomfortable. "Jenna was your legal guardian and...well, you understand." She turned to look at Damon, "I hope you'll consider my offer."

"Of course," Damon said smoothly, "Thank you for stopping by." He led Caroline and the sheriff to the door, nodding to them before returning to the living room. Elena hadn't moved from her position on the sofa, where she was staring blankly at the wall. "You know," Damon began, moving to the liquor table to pour himself a drink. "You could always move in here."

Elena looked up in surprise, but Damon's back was to her. "What?"

"You and Jeremy...I mean, if the whole 'legal guardian' stuff is an issue," Damon shrugged, turning around to face her. "We have plenty of empty rooms. And _technically _the boarding house is still in your name, but we're going to have to redo that. I mean, seeing as how you died."

"Excuse me?"

"When you died," Damon sat down across from her, "It voided the whole safehouse thing. How do you think Katherine got in when she brought the cure? Or how Caroline got in without an invite?"

"Oh."

"Yeah, so I'll call the—"

"No."

"What?"

"We're not redoing it."

"Why not?" Damon demanded, staring at Elena in confusion. "The whole point of this was so that you would have a place where..." he trailed off, realizing the source of her refusal. "Stefan's not here."

"This is his home, Damon. If..._when_ he comes back, he should be able to set foot inside the boarding house without me having to invite him in." When Damon didn't look happy, Elena cajoled, "No one is after me, remember?"

"Fine," Damon stood up abruptly. "Come on upstairs. I've been going through the news channels for any sign of Klaus and Stefan. You can help." He began walking out of the room, when he realized Elena wasn't following him. "What now?"

Elena stood up and walked slowly so that she was standing in front of him. "Damon, you know that I want to find Stefan as much as you do." She reached out to take his hand, "And I will do _everything _possible to get him back. But...I'm not letting you get yourself killed."

Damon glanced down at their joined hands, and flicked his gaze back up to hers. "What are you saying?"

"To get him back, _we_ need a plan," she tightened her grip, "And we'll _all _work together to figure out what that plan is."

"Elena..."

"Promise me," she insisted, not relinquishing her hold. "Promise me you won't go looking for Stefan on your own." Damon could see the pleading look in her eyes, but couldn't bring himself to say the words she wanted to hear. He tried to extract himself, but she clung on stubbornly. "No, Damon. _Please_. I've lost...so many people. A-and I thought I was going to lose you, too." She closed her eyes, "I can't go through that again. Just...promise me."

Seeing the pain on her face, Damon finally relented. "Hey, it's okay," he said in a soothing voice, "Look at me." When she opened her eyes, he met her gaze steadily. "I promise I won't leave you, Elena. Never again."

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><p><strong>*whew! covered a lot of issues in this chapter! i decided to include john gilbert's letter because it was the purest sacrifice he could have made, and he definitely redeemed himself. it's a lesson that the sheriff needed to learn ;) oh and dealing with the whole legal guardian issue, what do YOU guys think should happen (realistically; either in the show or in this fic?)<strong>


	4. The New Normal

**A/N: **thanks for everyone's help with the whole guardian issue! you'll see how it's settled this chapter. enjoy :)

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><p>"Ah, the great Damon Salvatore sitting by himself at the bar on a Friday night," Alaric grinned as he slid onto to the stool next to Damon. "There's something wrong with this picture."<p>

Damon merely raised an amused eyebrow as he watched Alaric order a beer. "Keeping it light tonight, Ric?"

"Not looking to get drunk," Alaric returned, raising his glass in Damon's direction before taking a sip. He looked around The Grille, "Where's Andie? You waiting for her?"

Damon tossed back the liquor in his glass before answering, "I broke up with her."

"You did what?"

"I compelled her to forget everything I told her, and then I broke up with her," Damon explained patiently, "She was an unnecessary distraction."

"I thought," Alaric said carefully, "That was the point. A distraction."

"Yeah, well, no time for that with Stefan gone," Damon muttered. "It's time for me to step up and fill little bro's do-gooder shoes." He lowered his glass and stared at it in determination. "I need to focus on protecting Elena and Jeremy and—"

"Hey," Alaric clapped Damon's shoulder, "No one ever said you had to fill Stefan's shoes. You did good for this town, all on your own."

Damon tried to grin, but it came out as more of a grimace. "You should hate me."

"Yes," Alaric agreed, "I should."

At that, Damon chuckled. "So you never said what _you_ were doing here?"

Alaric shrugged and said casually, "A social worker stopped by the house today."

"From child services?" Damon straightened, "What did Elena do?"

A smile tugged on the corner of Alaric's mouth, "She said that she was almost 18 and had been looking after Jeremy her whole life. And she also said that until she actually turned 18, I would be staying with them. Seeing as how I was her step-father and all."

Damon grinned and raised his glass to Ric, "So that's what you were in such a good mood about." He leaned in confidentially, "You know, I was kinda secretly hoping Elena would move into the boarding house..."

Alaric gave him a stern look, "How's the search for Stefan going?"

"Well, as soon as Klaus kills some damn people, I'll be able to find them," Damon retorted. At that moment, the door to The Grille opened and Elena, Jeremy, Caroline, Bonnie, and Tyler walked in together. The laughing and chattering group made their way to a booth on the other side of the room, appearing not to notice who was at the bar.

"Well," Alaric finished off his beer, "I would say that's my cue to leave."

Damon smirked, "You gonna go over there and tell them to be home at a reasonable hour?"

"No," Alaric hopped off the bar stool, "I'll be waiting for them at home _when _they arrive at a reasonable hour."

"Awfully trusting of them, Ric," Damon called over his shoulder, winking at Alaric when he rolled his eyes. Several minutes later, Damon felt a familiar presence at his shoulder and he turned around to see Elena.

"You could always come join us you know," she offered, "Unless you're waiting for someone."

Damon swirled the contents of his glass, raising an eyebrow at her. "No, not waiting for anyone...but I think I'll skip the group bonding session all the same." He began to get up, but Elena reached over and laid a hand on his arm.

"It's okay, you know. To want to be around other people sometimes. It doesn't...make you weak."

Damon bit back a sigh, and sat down. "Look, Elena. Just because you've forgiven me for all my mistakes doesn't mean that they all have."

Elena's eyes widened in surprise, and she quickly looked away.

It was the first time either of them had alluded to the conversation that had taken place _that night_.

"I mean," Damon sounded hesitant, "You did _mean it_, right?"

"Yes," Elena said immediately, giving Damon a reassuring smile. "I meant it when I said I forgave you. I do."

Before Damon could respond, there was a slight commotion on the other side of the room. They both looked over to see a tearful Caroline standing in between Matt and Tyler, her hands splayed out to keep them apart. "Just calm down!" she pleaded. Jeremy began moving to stand behind Tyler, presumably to hold him back if things got out of control.

When Damon and Elena reached the altercation, Damon subtly pushed Caroline out of the way so that he could take her place. His eyes flashed, "And what exactly seems to be the problem here?"

"This _prick _thinks he can bring my ex-girlfriend out on a date _where I work!_" Matt shouted, and the platter he was holding crashed to the floor.

"It's not a date!" Tyler growled back, his hands fisting at his sides. "If you would just listen—"

Matt interrupted in a low voice, "Look, man. I don't care if you are a werewolf and I don't care if the whole town is a freakin' vampire besides me. But we used to be friends and I wish you'd have a little respect for that!" Leaving a stunned silence in his wake, Matt grabbed the platter off the floor and stalked back into the kitchen.

Caroline stood still, her lips quivering. Then she abruptly gathered her coat and her purse, "I hate to break up our 'normal' Friday night, but I need to leave." She tried to brush by, but Elena grabbed her arm.

"Hey," she said gently, "I'll walk you home."

"No," Tyler protested, "I'm the one that drove here." He glanced at the rest of the group, "We should all leave. I think it's safe to say this night is ruined."

As everyone nodded their assent and began to get up, Damon pulled Tyler aside, "Take Blondie home. I'll take care of the others."

Tyler frowned, looking unsure. "But...haven't you been drinking?"

"Not enough to dull my enhanced vampire senses," Damon deadpanned, watching through narrowed eyes as Tyler slid an arm around Caroline's shoulders and led her to his car.

Damon waited till they had left before turning to Elena, "What's the deal with them?"

"Friends. I think."

"For now," Bonnie put in, smiling as Jeremy helped her with her coat.

Damon rolled his eyes, leading them to his car. Elena got into the passenger seat next to him, while Bonnie and Jeremy clambered into the backseat. As Damon pulled on to the road, he sought out Bonnie's gaze in the rearview mirror, "Where to Bennett?"

Bonnie hesitated, "There's a spell I wanted to try on the Gilbert house. One to keep out unwanted spirits."

Elena twisted around in her seat, "Is there really a spell for that?"

"Have you seen our two visitors from the other side since that night?" Damon asked at the same time, turning around to look at Jeremy.

"No, I—"

"Damon, look out!" Bonnie shouted, her eyes widening with horror.

He whirled back around just in time to see someone hit the windshield with shattering force and fall to the ground. Elena screamed as the car came to a screeching halt. Damon was out of the door in an instant, and Elena rushed out after him, "What happened? Who is it?"

Damon was kneeling next to the body of a woman, and he carefully turned her around to see her face. "Oh god," he breathed, "No, not you..."

"Damon?" Bonnie inched forward, "Who is it?"

"Hey, I know her," Jeremy frowned, "It's..."

"Andie," Elena murmured, stepping cautiously towards Damon. "Is she...?"

"No heartbeat," Damon said numbly, "She's dead."

Bonnie shivered, crossing her arms as she looked up and down the deserted street. "What should we do? Should we call someone?"

Damon stood up, barely feeling Elena grasp his shoulders. "I didn't even see her," he said almost wonderingly. "It's like she came out of nowhere."

"We can't just leave the body in the middle of the street," Jeremy finally said, "Let's at least move..." he broke off, "What the—"

"Where did she go?" Bonnie whispered, her eyes darting back and forth. "She couldn't have just disappeared!"

"Isn't this great?" a bright voice said from behind them. Everyone turned to see Andie standing there, her hands on her hips. She tilted her head, her fangs glistening in the moonlight. "Now I'm a vampire, too."

"Oh my god," Bonnie took a step backwards. Before anyone could blink, Andie had blurred forward and appeared behind Jeremy.

"What—"

"No!" Elena cried out, watching helplessly as Andie snapped Jeremy's neck and he fell to the ground in an unmoving heap. "Jeremy!" Elena rushed forward, falling to her knees before her brother. She scrabbled frantically to find his hand, and breathed a sigh of relief.

He was wearing the ring.

Damon immediately vamped out, leaping forward to meet Andie. As he shoved her against the hood of the car, he pulled a stake out of his pocket. "I'm sorry," Damon held the stake above her heart, "But I have to do this."

As Andie stared up at Damon, the vampire features disappeared from her face and she smiled faintly. "I know," she whispered. And as the stake entered her heart, she said her last words. "Klaus sends his love."


	5. Hide and Seek

**A/N: **someone requested more moments where the gang works together, which I thought would be perfect for this chapter. enjoy!

* * *

><p>"So," Damon asserted, "We all know why we're here."<p>

"At 9 AM on a Saturday morning?" Caroline muttered under her breath, "Can't say I do."

Damon paused his pacing to scowl at her, "Was there something you wanted to say?"

Caroline stared back at him defiantly, but after a minute she slumped back down into the cushions of the sofa. "No," she sighed in defeat, "Go on."

"Uh, permission to speak?" Tyler ventured. He waited for Damon's curt nod before continuing, "See, I don't really know why _I'm _here…"

"Hey, that's not my fault," Damon gestured towards Caroline, "Ask Blondie over there. She thinks you might be _useful _in our particular…situation."

"And what exactly is the situation?" Tyler demanded, "I mean, I know what happened last night. And Caroline has filled me in on Klaus and everything but…I'm still kinda lost."

"We all are," Elena reassured him, standing up from the sofa to join Damon at the front of the room. She folded her hands in front of her and took a deep breath, clearly preparing herself for some sort of speech. "We all thought Klaus and Stefan left town to…well, get a head start on the whole werewolf-vampire hybrid race that Klaus has apparently been planning for all these years."

"But you don't believe in that theory anymore?" Alaric surmised, "Now you think they might still be in Mystic Falls."

"No," Elena and Damon said simultaneously, before looking at each other in surprise.

Elena frowned, "Wait, you don't think they're here either?"

"I know they're not," Damon said in a hard voice, "I spent all night scouring every inch and every corner of Mystic Falls. They're not here."

Elena pursed her lips together, this apparently being new information to her. "I thought I told you," she said in a low voice, "Not to go all lone ranger on us."

Damon saw the anger in her expression but he didn't apologize for it. "If there was a chance that they were here…I had to try, Elena. You have to understand that."

"When do you think Andie was turned, then?" Jeremy spoke up for the first time, blinking the sleep out of his eyes. "When was the last time you saw her?"

Damon's brow furrowed as he tried to remember. He hadn't seen her in a while; after the unfortunate incident when he'd almost killed her, he had gone to see her to break it off—and compel her to forget. "Probably not for a couple weeks," Damon said after a minute, "Not since we broke up."

Bonnie raised an eyebrow, "You broke up with her? Did Klaus know that?"

"Well I don't know, Bonnie," Damon said with mock seriousness, "The next time you see him, why don't you ask him for me?"

Bonnie made a face at him, but didn't respond. "So she had to be turned recently, right?" Caroline mused, looking thoughtful. "It probably was when Klaus and Stefan left town...maybe they took her with them!"

"And sent Andie back on her own as a message?" Elena asked skeptically, before frowning. "Actually, that sounds like something he might do."

"I hate to interrupt your little Sherlock Holmes investigation," Tyler said loudly, "But who cares _when _she was turned? We should be figuring out how to get rid of this Klaus guy! That's the only we can get Stefan back...right?" He turned to look at Caroline, who nodded in agreement.

She addressed the room at large, "Um, so does anyone know how Klaus can die?"

"What happened to Elijah?" Alaric questioned, "Didn't he help before?"

"Before he betrayed us," Bonnie muttered, still bitter about that night. They had been _so close _to getting rid of Klaus once and for all. "No one knows what happened to him. He's probably looking for his family or something."

"Apparently Klaus promised Elijah he'd be reunited with his family," Elena informed Alaric. "Which I still can't believe..." she trailed off, crossing her arms. "I thought he would keep his word."

"That's what happens when you put your trust in the wrong people," Damon said simply, and he exchanged a look with Elena.

Jeremy stretched his legs onto the coffee table, making himself comfortable. "You guys realize that Katherine is the only one that knows _anything _at this point, right?"

"Yeah, where did she go?" Caroline asked, looking up at Damon. "Do you know?"

"She ran off," Damon said sharply, "And no, we're not going to be able to find her. Not if she doesn't want to be found."

"We think she's running from Klaus," Elena crossed her arms. "He probably told her to deliver the cure and go back to him. But I doubt she would've complied with his orders."

"I thought that if Klaus compels you, then you _have _to do what he says?" Tyler asked, looking confused.

"I gave her vervain," Damon answered, "Which is why she decided to deliver the cure in the first place."

"Let me get this straight," Tyler said after a minute, "We're all on our own with this one?"

At that moment, there was a slight noise at the door. Before anyone could react, a figure blurred into the room to stand in the exact center. She stood with her hands on her hips and a devious grin playing across her face. "Well," Katherine drawled, "I wouldn't say you're all _on your own_." She smirked at Damon, "After all, you have me."

Everyone gaped at her in disbelief.

"You're...but we thought..." Elena stared at her doppelganger with wide eyes, "We thought you'd be on the run from Klaus!"

"I am," Katherine agreed, tilting her head. "And what better place to hide than the last place they would look?"


	6. Dead Tales

**A/N: **a lot of truths come out in this chapter :)

* * *

><p>"What do you mean Elijah is dead?" Damon slammed a book down onto the table in front of Katherine, "I thought he was with Klaus!"<p>

Katherine gave an exaggerated sigh as she leaned back in her chair. "He _was _with Klaus. And then Klaus staked him with that dagger. And well…you know the rest."

"No," Elena corrected, "We know nothing. You could have—"

"You're lucky I even decided to come here, Elena, so don't push it."

"Wait a second," Alaric stood up, his eyes narrowed. "How is Klaus still alive?"

Katherine looked bored, "What do you mean?"

"You said he used the dagger on Elijah," Alaric reminded her, "Any vampire that uses the dagger would be killed instantly."

"Oh, that pesky little rule," Katherine dismissed, "That wouldn't work on Klaus."

"Why not?" Elena demanded, "He's still a vampire."

"Klaus is now the true definition of an immortal," Katherine eyed Elena before turning to look at Bonnie. "There is not much that could kill him now."

Elena abruptly moved so that she was standing in between Bonnie and Katherine. "No," she said sternly to Katherine. "Bonnie will have nothing to do with this. I refuse to send her up against Klaus on her own."

"Fine," Katherine said delicately, "I would love to hear _your _plan." She folded her hands and looked expectantly at Elena, "Well?"

"There has to be another way," Jeremy glared at Katherine, "You're not telling us everything you know."

"He's right," Caroline snapped, "You haven't told us anything about Stefan."

"True," Katherine tapped her fingers against the surface of the table, "I haven't."

"Don't test my patience, Katherine," Damon warned, his eyes narrowing dangerously. "Tell us what you know."

She licked her lips before raising an eyebrow, "How about some blood?" When no one moved, Katherine's expression hardened. "Get me what I want, and I'll tell you what you want to know. It's as easy as that."

Damon gritted his teeth, considering her offer. "Fine," he agreed grudgingly, "I'll be right back." He nodded to Alaric on his way out, "Keep an eye on her." The latter nodded, pulling several vervain syringes out of his pocket. He tossed a couple to Caroline, who caught them easily before sending a defiant look in Katherine's direction.

Elena waited for a minute before she slipped out of the room to follow Damon down the stairs. He was standing by the freezer in the basement, weighing a blood bag in his hand. He looked up when Elena joined him. "Don't tell me she tried to escape already?"

"No," Elena replied in a clipped tone, "Why didn't you tell me you went out looking for Klaus last night?"

Damon stared into the freezer, not looking at her. "Because I knew how you would react."

"You promised me," she walked towards him, keeping her voice calm, "You promised you wouldn't leave."

He shut the freezer door with a loud click. "I'm here, aren't I?"

"That's not what I mean, Damon." Elena moved to block his path as he attempted to brush past her. "What if you had found them last night?" When he didn't answer, she instinctively shoved against his chest. "What would you have done then?"

Damon grabbed her wrist and removed her hand from his chest, his eyes flashing. "Then I would've known where they were, Elena. Everybody wins."

"No," she snapped, "You would've gone in there on some boneheaded rescue mission and gotten yourself killed!"

He lost his temper, "What if I _had_? Stefan sacrificed himself to save _me_, Elena! _Me! _Do you have any idea what that feels like? To know that my _own brother_ has given everything up just so _I_ could live? Especially when I don't even _deserve _to?"

Elena was silent for a few moments, looking slightly shocked at his outburst. "Is that what you really believe? Stefan wouldn't have done what he did if he didn't think you deserved it, Damon. You know that."

He didn't respond. "We should get back upstairs. They'll be wondering where we've gone off to."

Elena didn't move. "Katherine won't run. She has no other choice."

"I know. We're her last resort," Damon said grimly, "She needs Klaus to be dead just as much as we do." He began walking towards the stairs when a thought occurred to him and he turned back around to face Elena. "Don't let Katherine get the best of you. She'll try to get under your skin. Don't let her."

Elena looked confused, "I know how Katherine works, Damon. I'm used to her by now."

"Whatever she says," he insisted, "Just remember that she's a manipulative, selfish—"

"You're standing here because of her," Elena interrupted, holding up a hand to stop him. "Yes, you might have done her a favor. And yes, it was Klaus' blood that was ultimately the cure." Elena met his gaze steadily, "But the reality of it comes down to the fact that Katherine had a single moment of unselfish behavior, and we all owe her for that."

"_What_?"

Elena took a few steps towards him, and reached out to grasp his hand. "I almost..." she took a deep breath and then continued in a different vein, "_We_ almost lost you, Damon. I don't know what I would've done if..."

Damon closed his eyes briefly at her touch, but she moved her hand away almost immediately. When he looked at her again, she was standing startlingly close to him. He cleared his throat, taking a step back. "We should go," he said again, but Elena didn't seem to hear him.

"I have to tell you something," she said suddenly, looking nervous.

He leaned against the banister warily. In his experience, long overdue confessions never led to anything good. "Can it wait?"

"I died," she said unexpectedly.

Damon blinked at her in bewilderment, "Again?"

"What? N-no, just that once."

He stood there, wondering exactly where she was going with this. "I know, Elena. What—"

"It's sort of like becoming a vampire," she said in a rush, "Because vampires are dead, see?"

This was becoming an extremely strange conversation.

"Okay?"

"When someone dies," Elena's gaze suddenly flew to the ground and she stared at her shoes as if they had become very interesting, "Any compulsion they've had placed on them disappears."

"I know," Damon said impatiently, "What are you..." He trailed off, a sudden realization hitting him. "Wait...you don't..."

She swallowed, "I do."

They were left staring at each other in silence.

"I'm getting very impatient up here!" Katherine's voice suddenly echoed down the stairs, sounding displeased. "_Where's my blood_?"

Damon shook himself out of reverie. "I can't talk about this right now," he mumbled to Elena, "We have to figure out what Katherine knows about Stefan." Without waiting for her response, he disappeared up the stairs.

"Took you long enough," Katherine snapped, as Damon whirled the blood bag at her with lightning speed. She caught it deftly with two fingers and sent Elena a dark look, "What were you two doing down there?"

"You have your blood," Damon snarled, "Start talking."

"Fine," Katherine responded haughtily, draining the rest of the bag. "I don't know where exactly Klaus and Stefan went, but I know why Klaus was interested in him."

Damon jumped on that bit of information immediately, "Why?"

"Klaus had heard the stories about Stefan," Katherine said, speaking only to Damon, "From 1917."

In the silence that followed, everyone exchanged bewildered looks. "Um, hello!" Caroline said in exasperation, "Some of us weren't alive back then, so...?"

"In 1917," Damon began, but stopped talking when he glanced at Elena.

"What's the matter, Damon?" Katherine smirked, "Don't want Elena to hear all the gory details?" When Damon didn't answer, Katherine shrugged. "Well, it doesn't matter to me. In 1917, Stefan's thirst for human blood was insatiable. He was...the true meaning of a vampire." She smiled, her features alighting with faint pride, "A ripper." When it appeared that this word had no meaning to the majority of the room, she elaborated, "He wiped out an entire village. Klaus was quite pleased with his work, apparently."

"Let me get this straight," Damon blurred across the room to stand in front of Katherine angrily, "Klaus honestly believes that Stefan would do that again? _Now?"_

"Now that he's back on human blood. Yes."

Elena's eyes widened, "What? But Stefan wouldn't—"

"Like I said," Katherine interrupted, "Stefan sacrificed everything. He's bound to Klaus for the next decade."

There was a horrified silence.


	7. Living Memories

_a/n: there is a reason behind the final scene. it will be explained in the subsequent chapter. _

* * *

><p>"How's the salad coming along, Jer?" Elena asked dully, her hand mechanically stirring the pot of pasta sauce. It was an easy task, leaving her mind free to brood upon the events from the morning. Either way you looked at it, their situation was impossible; Klaus was all-powerful and Stefan was bound to him. <em>For the next ten years.<em>

"I'm working on it," Jeremy looked up at his sister tentatively. "Elena, you know you don't have to cook dinner...I know you have other things to worry about."

"It's fine," Elena replied instantly, her gaze lifting to meet Jeremy's worried expression. "I need to focus on something," she explained, "Or I'll go crazy."

He nodded in understanding, but still looked concerned. He balanced the salad bowl in one hand as he opened the one of the cabinets, "How many plates should I set?"

"What?" Elena asked distractedly, "Oh, set it for three. I think Ric said he'd be home for dinner." She watched Jeremy carry everything into the dining room with unfocused eyes._ What if we can't get Stefan out? He won't be the same person in ten years. _Her mind felt hazy as she realized, _I won't be the same person in ten years either..._

"Elena?"

She jumped, wondering when Jeremy had returned. "It's almost done," she said automatically, assuming he had asked whether the food was ready yet.

Jeremy gave her a small smile as he peered at the meal that Elena was preparing, "You made all that for just three people?"

"Huh? Oh, is it too—"

"Better make that four people," Alaric suddenly announced as he walked into the kitchen, laden with groceries. Elena stared at him in puzzlement until she saw who he had brought with him.

"Damon!" Elena's brow furrowed, "I didn't know you would be joining us tonight." She abruptly averted her eyes back to the pot she was stirring to avoid looking at him. They hadn't spoken since the morning. "I thought you'd be watching over Katherine."

"She's back at the boarding house," Damon said easily, "She's not going anywhere."

"We were at a council meeting," Alaric explained, dropping the groceries onto the countertop. He glanced at Damon before continuing, "Sheriff Forbes is having some trouble dealing with Mrs. Lockwood."

"I told you that family was trouble," Damon muttered under his breath. Then he grinned as he sauntered over to Elena, "What smells so good?" Elena's cheeks flushed as Damon stood over her, and his fingers brushed hers. "May I?" he offered, "You can help Ric pour the wine."

"Oh, we don't have any—"

Elena broke off as Ric lifted a bottle of wine from one of the grocery bags. "Damon insisted," Alaric said dryly, and Elena rolled her eyes.

"What else did you get?" Jeremy asked, looking excited at the prospect of a full house for dinner.

"Garlic bread, fruit salad," Alaric named the items as he laid them out on the table. "Oh, and Damon bought dessert from The Grille…"

Elena's mouth watered at the sight and she turned around to smile at Damon. "That was really nice of you, Damon. But you didn't have to go to all the trouble."

"It was my _pleasure_," he replied, his tone changing slightly as he said the words.

And Elena was left to ponder exactly how he managed to ooze sexual overtones into _everything_ he said.

.

About twenty minutes later, the table was set with more food than was strictly necessary and the four of them were seated. "This looks great," Jeremy said enthusiastically, and Elena nodded in agreement.

"Your sister did most of the cooking," Damon corrected, raising his glass in Elena's direction.

"So," Elena took a sip of the wine, noting the pleasant taste—though she wouldn't have expected anything less. "What exactly happened at this council meeting?"

"It would appear that Mrs. Lockwood is threatening to fire Liz," Alaric answered, "Seeing as how the vampire problem is…still a problem."

Jeremy frowned, "What does Mrs. Lockwood even know?"

"Well, she _is _on the council so she knows about Andie being turned," Damon began, "And she knows about Jenna."

Elena stiffened, "The council knows about Jenna?"

"We had to tell them a partial truth, Elena," Damon said, even though he looked slightly uncomfortable. "Jenna couldn't just...go missing."

She eventually nodded, accepting the story. "What is the sheriff planning to do?"

"Whatever happens, we can't let her get fired," Damon said vehemently. "We don't need some new sheriff coming in to complicate matters."

"Agreed," Elena murmured. As she raised her wine glass to her lips, she was surprised to see it was full again. She frowned at it, and looked up to see Damon wink at her. She felt her lips curve upwards with a smile, even as she shook her head.

.

The rest of the dinner was spent discussing everything else possible _except _the obvious; Damon had imposed a "no-talking-about-Klaus" rule, which Elena was more than grateful for. There were only so many times that they could go over the dismal facts.

Elena stood up when everyone was done to collect the plates, and Damon immediately offered to help. "I'll bring out the dessert to the living room," Alaric suggested, "Maybe we could watch a movie together?"

"Yeah," Jeremy hopped up, "I'll go find a DVD."

Elena watched them go with a small smile, and she walked into the kitchen where Damon was clearing off the plates. "Thanks for doing this," she said, "It means a lot to Jeremy. Lately, it's been way too quiet around here."

Damon turned around from the sink to give her a brief smile, "Well, the three of you are always welcome to dinner at my place..." He trailed off with a frown, "Though now that Katherine is there, that might be a problem."

"Here, let me help," Elena pulled open the dishwasher to start loading the dishes. They worked in companionable silence for a few minutes before she spoke again. "So, what's the real reason you're here?"

A look of annoyance crossed Damon's face. "Geez, Elena! Do I always have to have some secret vendetta?"

"No," she answered, closing the dishwasher and switching it on. "But you usually do."

He only shook his head and grabbed the bottle of wine, gesturing towards the living room, "Come on. They're waiting for us."

"Wait," Elena reached out to stop him, "Aren't we going to talk about what happened this morning?"

Damon's mouth fell into a grim line. "Which bit?" he asked politely, "The part where we found out that my brother is indebted to Klaus for the next decade, or the part where you admitted to knowing about the compulsion?"

"The second one," Elena replied quietly, her gaze searching his. "You said we would talk about it later."

He looked like he was going to blow her off again, but then he suddenly snapped, "You sure waited a long while before fessing up. How long have you known?"

"I remembered as soon as I came back to life," Elena admitted, "But t-there was never a good time to tell you. First we had to deal with Jenna's death and John's death...and when that was all over, I was going to tell you but then it was _you _that was dying..." She took a deep breath, "And so it was never the right time."

Damon played with the rim of his wine glass absentmindedly, "Are you upset that I compelled you?"

"No," Elena replied after a moment. "But...I want you to know, I did try to tell you the truth." She hesitated, "When you were dying, you told me..." She felt her face heat up and mumbled, "You know what, never mind."

"I told you that I loved you," Damon said slowly, "And you said..."

_'I know you love Stefan, and it'll always be Stefan. But I love you. You should know that.'_  
><em>'I do.'<em>

"You said that you _knew_," Damon suddenly realized, "I thought you just meant—"

"I was trying to tell you," Elena said quietly, "I was trying to tell you that I remembered."

Damon opened his mouth to say something, but his gaze flicked to someone behind her. "Everything alright in here?" Alaric asked, looking between Damon and Elena. "The dessert is starting to melt."

.

"Took you long enough," Jeremy grumbled when the three of them walked back into the living room. He pointed to a stack of DVDs, "I couldn't decide which one to pick."

Damon didn't respond and began pouring four more glasses of wine instead. "Damon," Alaric said pointedly, "I think they've had enough."

"Relax, Ric," Damon said dismissively, "Remember, we're pretending this is just a normal Saturday night. I'm sure they can handle a few more."

At his words, Elena frowned. "It _is _Saturday night...I forgot."

"Is something wrong?" Alaric glanced up at her questioningly, "Did you have other plans?"

"No," Elena hesitated, "It's just that...Saturday night was always..."

"Date night," Damon supplied when Elena didn't finish. "Hers and Stefan's," he elaborated when Jeremy and Alaric both looked confused.

"Oh yeah," Jeremy looked over at Elena, "I forgot."

Elena gave him a small smile before meeting Damon's gaze; he was looking at her intently, seemingly waiting for her to freak out or have an emotional outburst. "You remembered," she said to Damon in realization, "That's why you did all this."

Damon shrugged, trying to make light of the situation. "Yeah, well. I would hate for you to spend Saturday night alone just because Stefan...isn't here."

"Thank you," Elena tried to smile at him, "I...guess I should apologize for accusing you of having a secret agenda."

"Under normal circumstances," Damon smirked at her, "You would've probably been right."

.

As Alaric began handing out the dessert, Jeremy's phone beeped. He read it quickly before looking up at Damon, "Ah, can we talk about Klaus now?"

"What is it?" Elena asked immediately, "Did you hear from Stefan?"

"No," Jeremy handed her his phone, "I got a text from Bonnie. She said that she found a loophole in that locator spell that she used when Rose and Trevor kidnapped Elena."

Damon looked up with interest, "She found a way that my blood will work to find Stefan?"

"The text says that if your blood is mixed with blood from a 'human that is pure of heart', then it should show us where Stefan is on the map."

"Pure of heart?" Alaric asked skeptically, "What does that mean?"

"I would assume it meant Elena," Damon answered thoughtfully, "How soon can we see if the spell works?"

"I can tell her to come over tonight if you want," Jeremy replied, taking his phone back from Elena and beginning to text back his response.

Damon stood up, "It's late. Tell her I'll be at her house in 10 minutes to pick her up." He had just begun to make his way to the front door when someone knocked on it loudly.

"Elena, open up!" Caroline banged on the door incessantly, "It's an emergency!" Damon immediately blurred forward and pulled the door open, revealing Caroline, Tyler, and Matt. "Oh thank god you're all here," Caroline hurried into the house, pulling Tyler and Matt in after her. "Something's happened."

"What's going on?" Elena stood up, her gaze falling on Matt who looked deeply disturbed. His forehead shone with a sheen of sweat, and he was visibly shaking. "Matt? Are you okay?"

"Tell them," Caroline urged, giving Matt a small push forward. "Tell them exactly what you told me."

Matt took a deep breath, "I had just gotten home after finishing my shift at The Grille a-and I pulled into my driveway. Everything seemed perfectly normal." He suddenly lurched forward and insisted, "I would've noticed if something was different!"

Elena quickly led Matt to the sofa and placed her hand on his arm in a comforting manner. "Matt, it's okay. Just tell us what happened."

"How do you deal with it?" Matt whispered, "Somedays I still can't believe any of it is real! I d-don't want to _believe _it's real..."

"What's not real?" Elena asked gently. "Was there someone in your house? A vampire?" A sudden thought occurred to her and she asked sharply, "Klaus?"

"Sitting at my kitchen table," Matt muttered, "As if it was perfectly normal to be there!"

Elena gasped in horror, "Klaus was in your house?"

"What?" Matt asked in confusion, "No, no. I don't know who that is. I meant my sister. Vicki."


	8. Nine Lives

**A/N: **just to clarify, Anna and Vicki ARE ghosts. more shall be explained this chapter ;) enjoy!

* * *

><p>"What's going on?" Bonnie demanded as she climbed into Damon's car, "Elena just sent me this text about Matt…he actually <em>saw <em>Vicki?" She hadn't even finished buckling her seatbelt before Damon peeled out of her driveway, looking preoccupied.

"So he claims," Damon shot her a slightly accusatory look, "I thought you said that Jeremy was the only one who could see and talk to them?"

"That's what Emily told me," Bonnie responded defensively. She couldn't understand how this was possible; had Emily lied to her? "Did Vicki...say anything to Matt?" Bonnie asked tentatively, recognizing that this might be a sore subject. What if she had told Matt that Damon had been the one to turn her _and _stake her?

"Nothing of importance," Damon glanced at her, seeming to guess at what she was thinking. "Apparently she apologized for being such a screw-up when they were growing up, and then she thanked him for always looking out for her."

"Like a goodbye," Bonnie murmured. "What happened after that?"

"She disappeared," Damon tapped his fingers along the steering wheel absentmindedly. "As in, she vanished into thin air."

"Definitely a ghost then," Bonnie said thoughtfully, glancing out the window. "I—wait, where are you going? This isn't the way to the boarding house."

"Why would we go there?" Damon asked in confusion, "Katherine is there."

"I need you to get some stuff of Stefan's for the spell," Bonnie said impatiently, "Turn around."

Damon heaved a sigh, "Couldn't have mentioned this before?" As he switched directions, he peered at Bonnie curiously. "Speaking of that spell…"

"What about it?"

"You said you wanted to mix my blood with someone who was _pure of heart_."

"A human," Bonnie corrected, "So?"

"I know being a vague is a witch thing," Damon said breezily, earning himself a glare from Bonnie, "But what exactly does that _mean_?"

"I would think it was obvious," Bonnie said coolly, "It means someone who wants to find Stefan for the purest intentions." When Damon still looked bewildered, Bonnie elaborated, "It means _Elena_. She's the one that loves him with all her heart, so her intentions for bringing him back are pure."

Damon made a face, "That doesn't seem like the most—"

"Witchcraft isn't a science, Damon," Bonnie interrupted, "It's an _art_. I'll do what I think is right."

Damon shook his head, but didn't respond. "Come on in," he said instead as he pulled in behind the Salvatore boarding house. She reached for the door handle, but Damon blurred to her side of the car and opened the door for her with a smirk.

"Show off," Bonnie muttered as she followed Damon into the house. The lights were all on, but there was no one in sight. "Where's Katherine?"

"Somewhere around here," Damon flung his jacket onto the sofa and gestured for her to sit down. "What do you need of Stefan's?"

"Anything that would have his DNA on it," Bonnie replied, taking a seat in front of the fireplace. "His comb and his toothbrush for starters. Maybe one of his shirts, too…" she trailed off when she saw Damon looking at her incredulously, "What?"

"DNA?" he repeated skeptically, "Bonnie, are you sure this is going to work for a _vampire_?"

"I told you," she answered calmly, "That's why we're using Elena's blood as well." She smiled at him primly, "Let me worry about the actual spell. You just go take care of the ingredients."

Deciding not to argue, Damon blurred up the stairs. He heard the faint noise of the TV coming from Stefan's room and rolled his eyes. Of course _she_ would be in there. Damon walked in without knocking to see Katherine sitting on the edge of Stefan's bed, her eyes glued to the television. She glanced up at him when he walked in, her face expressionless. "How was dinner at the Gilberts?"

Damon shrugged, rummaging with Stefan's things until he found the comb, which he slipped into his back pocket. Then he walked over to the closet and pulled a grey shirt off the hanger. "What are you up to?" he asked Katherine, turning to look at the TV. "Scouring the news channels?"

She nodded, "No sign of any killings so far." Katherine watched as Damon walked into the bathroom, and came back with Stefan's toothbrush. "Did the witch come up with a spell?" she asked interestedly, "Can I come?"

"No," Damon said sternly and pointed to the bed, "Stay here and _don't go anywhere_."

Katherine pouted, "You know I could just show up at dear Elena's house anyway. I've already been invited in…" She suddenly sat up, a coy smirk tugging at her lips. "Say, how _is _Elena doing? Has she succumbed to the overwhelming _guilt _yet?"

Damon froze at the doorway, spinning around to glare at Katherine. "You have no idea what you're talking about."

"Sure I do," Katherine said easily as she swung her legs over the bed and sashayed towards him. "I know what I walked into that night, Damon…the bittersweet goodbye of two lovers…"

Damon growled, grabbing Katherine's shoulders and slamming her into the wall. "It wasn't like that!"

Katherine only laughed. She reached out to slide her hands down the arms that were pinning her to the wall. At the same time, she leaned forward slightly to breathe in his ear, "I love it when you play rough…"

With an exasperated snarl, Damon released her. "Back off Katherine," he warned, "I don't know what you want Elena to do, but she's not—"

"What?" Katherine challenged. "There's only so many times you can say she's not like me before you start realizing that she's _already_ become me."

Damon ignored her. "Stay here," he said again, looking at her one last time before slamming the door behind him. He had just begun to walk towards the staircase to go back down when he noticed the door to his bedroom was slightly ajar, with a faint light emanating from behind it. He frowned; it didn't seem like Bonnie's style to waltz into his room without an invite. He silently padded up to his room before nudging the door open.

He stood still at the threshold, not having expected _this_.

"Hello Damon," Anna gave him a small smile, "I was wondering when you'd show up."

Damon gave her a cursory glance before he pushed the door shut behind him. He cleared his throat, "Can they...?"

"No," Anna peered up at him from her position on his bed. "Only you can see and hear me right now."

He nodded before taking a hesitant step towards her. She watched him closely as he knelt down in front of her, narrowing his eyes. Then Damon slowly reached out to touch her shoulder, surprised when his fingers brushed her cool skin. He abruptly stood back up, "You're not a ghost."

"I am," she disagreed, pushing herself off the bed and standing in front of him. "But the rules are...complicated."

"So uncomplicate them," Damon stared down at her, "Why are you here?"

"Your witch has most of it figured out," Anna folded her hands together as she took a step backwards. "Vicki and I were called from the other side to balance the scale of life and death. As a reward for doing this, we were each granted a last goodbye with a person of our choosing. As I'm sure you know, Vicki chose to say goodbye to her brother, Matt."

Damon raised an eyebrow at her incredulously, "And you chose me?"

Anna nodded, looking contemplative. "The night that we all burned in that fire...I know you wanted to save me. It was the first time I saw a change in you, Damon. You wanted to help me, even though there was no benefit in it for you." She smiled at him, though her gaze remained serious, "I wanted to thank you for that."

"You're...welcome," Damon said uncertainly, and he slowly sank down next to her on the bed. "I did want to save you," he admitted, "I wish I could have."

"I know," Anna replied quietly. "So," she said bitterly, "I see Katherine's still alive." When Damon merely nodded, Anna's eyes darkened, "How did she do it?"

He looked at her in confusion, "Do what?"

Anna stood up abruptly, "Look around, Damon! _Everyone _else is dead! My mother, Emily Bennett, the tomb vampires, Isobel, John...but _somehow _Katherine remains standing."

"Nine lives?" Damon suggested half-heartedly, without any real conviction. He stood up wearily, "I hate to cut this short, but Stefan is missing and—"

"And your witch is going to do the locator spell," Anna finished, "Yeah, I know." She suddenly shifted, looking uncomfortable. "I would be careful, if I were you. The spell calls for a human who is pure of heart...and I wouldn't be so certain that human is Elena."

"Why not?" Damon asked sharply, "There is no one that wants Stefan back more than she does."

Anna placed her hand on Damon's arm and said gently, "Listen to me. As far as the spell is concerned, being pure of heart means that you _love _that person with all your heart. That every fiber of your being _calls _for their return. Two halves of a whole. Soulmates." When Damon didn't respond, Anna let go of him and stepped backwards. "Can you honestly tell me that Elena is that person?"

"She believes that they are," Damon pointed out in a low voice, "That's all that matters."

Anna suddenly turned her head slightly, looking at something that he could not see. "I have to go," she murmured, "My time for being corporeal is over."

"Wait," Damon reached out to stop her, "What about Jeremy? How long are you and Vicki going to—"

"I do not wish any harm to come to Jeremy," Anna whispered as she pulled her arm out of Damon's grasp. "But it is my duty to balance the scale. I am sorry."

Then she disappeared.

Damon gritted his teeth as he stalked out of his room and blurred downstairs. He stopped in surprise when he saw Elena sitting on the sofa, staring blankly into the fireplace. She turned around when she heard his footsteps, and gave him a small smile. "Tyler dropped me off. I thought it would be easier to do the spell here so you wouldn't have to bring all of Stefan's stuff over. Bonnie's in the kitchen looking for candles."

"What happened with Matt?"

"We told him as much as we could," Elena shrugged helplessly, "He didn't seem too happy."

Damon opened his mouth to tell her about Anna, but Bonnie returned to the living room at that moment. She began setting the candles into a circle before glancing up at Damon, "Did you find the stuff I asked you for?" He nodded and handed over the comb, shirt, and toothbrush.

"Do you need us to do anything?" Elena asked, watching as Bonnie laid out several maps onto the ground. "Do you need any help?"

Bonnie reached for her bag and pulled out two small vials before tossing them to Elena and Damon. "Your blood," she reminded them, handing Damon a small dagger. "I just need a few drops."

He pierced the tip of his index finger and allowed a few drops to fall into the vial. Almost instantly, the wound healed itself. "Good?" he asked, handing the vial back to Bonnie. She examined it critically before nodding and turning to Elena expectantly.

Elena took a deep breath, wincing slightly when she pierced her finger. A few drops fell into the vial, and she handed it over to Bonnie, "Now what?"

"Now I do the spell." Bonnie took a seat in the center of candles, and began murmuring words under her breath as she mixed together the two vials of blood.

Elena sank back down onto the sofa, looking on edge. "Hey," Damon said quietly, sitting next to her and taking her hand. "We'll find Stefan. I promise."

She nodded shakily, "I hope so."

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><p><strong>*next chapter we'll see if the spell works or not! p.s. did anyone catch the shoutout to the season 1 finale in this chapter? a couple lines of dialogue were straight from it ;) <strong>


	9. Half of a Whole

**A/N: **yay for everyone who figured out the season 1 reference in the previous chapter! it was in the conversation between Damon & Anna (the part where she thanked him). the dialogue mirrored the infamous Damon/"Elena" porch scene from 1x22.

p.s. i haven't had a chance to send out individual replies to the more recent reviews so i just wanted to thank everyone for yout awesome positive feedback! BTW this was totally my favorite chapter to write ;)

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><p>Damon and Elena watched with bated breath as Bonnie carefully sucked up the blood using a dropper and held it above a map of the U.S. With her eyes closed, she murmured words and phrases, speaking faster and faster until neither of them could discern the end of one word and the beginning of another.<p>

After what seemed like an eternity, she suddenly cried out, "_Reperio quisnam nos peto…Stefan Salvatore!" _With this final sentence, she let a single drop of blood fall onto the map. Unconsciously, Damon moved off the sofa and knelt to the ground beside Bonnie, waiting to see what would happen.

The drop of blood seemed to hover in the midair, just above the map. Then, quite suddenly, it vanished.

"What happened?" Elena leaned forward in shock, "Where did it go?"

Bonnie blinked, looking disoriented. "That…wasn't supposed to happen."

"What does that mean?" Elena asked wildly, "That he's not in the U.S anymore?"

"Not in the U.S?" Bonnie repeated slowly, "I don't—"

"Yeah, that has to be it," Elena babbled, "You should've started with like an atlas or something." She hopped up, "I'll go find one in the library." Before anyone could reply, she hurried into the next room.

"Like no one saw that one coming," Katherine said sarcastically, appearing at the bottom of the staircase. She raised an eyebrow when she saw Damon's scowl, "What? You think I don't know how the spell works?" She smirked as she joined them in the living room. "_A human pure of heart_," she mimicked, "What on earth made you think that person would be Elena?"

"Elena loves Stefan," Bonnie said firmly, but she frowned when she noticed the knowing look that Katherine sent in Damon's direction. "What?" Bonnie stood up, her hands on her hips. "What are you two keeping from me?"

"Ask Damon," Katherine said, her voice taking on an annoying lilt. "I'd _love _to hear his opinion on the matter."

"_Katherine_," Damon's eyes darkened warningly, "Don't start."

She ignored him. "You might as well give up on that little spell," she informed Bonnie, "It'll never work." She tilted her head, pretending to think. "Hey, why don't you use my blood instead?"

"And exactly _how_ would that help us find Stefan?"

Katherine rolled her eyes, placing a hand on her hip. "It wouldn't. _But_ it would help you find Klaus."

"What are you talking about?" Bonnie demanded, even as Damon shook his head, "How would your blood help us find Klaus?"

Katherine sent a triumphant look in Damon's direction. "Klaus bit me," she explained, "To demonstrate the healing powers of his blood to Stefan." She smiled pleasantly, "So, my blood should link you to Klaus."

"In case you've forgotten," Damon hissed, "Klaus' blood is what healed me. If that were the case, then my blood would've worked."

"Not if you did the spell looking for _Stefan_," Katherine pointed out, "And not if it was mixed with Elena's." She looked up, "Speak of the devil..."

"Here we go," Elena announced, walking back into the room with a globe. She glanced at Katherine, but didn't acknowledge her presence. "I couldn't find a world map, but I think this should work." When no one responded, Elena spun the globe around with one of her hands, "Right?"

"Sure," Bonnie replied after a moment, reaching over to take the object. "It should work the same way."

"What…did I miss?" Elena asked, her gaze flicking between Bonnie, Damon, and Katherine. "Is something wrong?"

Bonnie sat back on her heels and blew out a breath. "Look Elena, I'm your friend and so I'm just gonna ask you once and I'll trust whatever answer you give me, okay?"

"Okay?" Elena looked confused, but she sat down in front of Bonnie. "What is it?"

"Do you have…" Bonnie broke off, trying to find the best way to word the question. "Is there any reason to believe that your blood wouldn't work for this spell?" she asked finally, keeping her voice as low as possible. "You know what the spell calls for."

"What?" Elena stood back up, defensiveness creeping into her tone. "Why wouldn't my blood work? Who else did you have in mind?"

"That's just it, Elena," Bonnie frowned up at her, "There _is _no one else. You _are _the only human…"

"Then what's the problem?" Elena demanded, glancing over at Damon. "I don't understand—"

"Do you even _know_ what pure of heart means?" Katherine interrupted, disdain evident in her tone. "It means someone who wants Stefan back for only the purest of intentions...meaning, love."

"And I suppose you think that person is _you_?" Elena shot back, her lips pursing.

"No, of course not," Katherine laughed. "I'm neither human nor pure of heart, Elena." She looked around the room, her gaze falling on Damon. "I'm sure everyone here can agree that I have _other _reasons for wanting to find Stefan."

"Yeah, like you want us to kill Klaus so he can't hunt you down," Damon snapped.

"I'm not going to pretend like that wouldn't be an added bonus," Katherine shrugged, "But at least I'm not pretending to be someone I'm not."

Anger flashed across Elena's face, "Excuse me?"

Katherine heaved a fake sigh, "I know I said it's okay to love them both, Elena. But the spell calls for someone who loves Stefan with all her heart. Not someone who loves him with _half _her heart—while the other half belongs to Damon..."

The sound of the slap echoed in the suddenly silent room.

Katherine raised a hand to her cheek, glancing at Elena's still-raised hand. "My, my," she drawled, "Me thinks the lady doth protest too much."

Elena's hand swung backwards again, when suddenly she could no longer move her arm. She looked up in hate-fueled rage to see Damon suddenly standing beside her, his hand firmly wrapped around her wrist. "That's enough," he growled, and she wasn't sure which of them he was talking to. Nonetheless, she let her arm drop to her side and glared at the ground. "I'd like to speak to Elena alone," she heard Damon say, "Just for a few minutes."

"I'll...be in the kitchen," Bonnie muttered, throwing a stern look in Katherine's direction. The latter rolled her eyes, leaving the room behind Bonnie.

After a moment, Elena realized that it was just the two of them left, and she raised her eyes to look at Damon. He was standing several feet away from her, his arms crossed. She waited, but the room remained silent. "Aren't you," she swallowed painfully, "Aren't you going to say anything?"

"What is there to say, Elena?" His voice was low, and Elena winced at the rawness of it. "I told you...I _warned _you not to let her get under your skin," Damon reminded her in a hard voice. "She was baiting you, and you fell for it. Hook, line, and sinker."

"Easier said than done," Elena muttered, looking away. "How was I just supposed to stand there and _act _like everything was okay?"

Damon looked up at that, and Elena was startled to see the fury in his eyes. "How? _How_? Because I do it everyday, Elena!" his voice rose exponentially with anger, "I stand here every single goddamn day and pretend like everything is normal, like it's not killing me that you're—" he broke off, abruptly snatching an empty glass off the table and whirling it into the fireplace.

Elena jumped as the glass shattered, and she took a step backwards. "Damon..."

"What?" he snarled, "Am I _scaring _you?" He blurred forward and grabbed her shoulders roughly, "Are you scared of me now?"

She drew in her breath sharply at the sudden movement, but stood her ground. "Damon," she repeated slowly, "Stop." His grip on her shoulders loosened, but he didn't release her. "I'm not scared of you," Elena continued calmly, trying to soothe the desperation that played across his face. "I know you would never hurt me." Watching him carefully, she slowly reached up to clasp one of his hands with her own, "Because you love me."

Damon blinked then, seeming to realize what was happening. His hands dropped from her shoulders and he stepped back, "I'm sorry."

"I know," Elena said cautiously, "It's fine."

He nodded curtly, moving almost automatically towards the bottles of liquor in the corner of the room.

After a minute, he spoke.

"You finally acknowledged it," he muttered, taking a swig straight from the bottle. "My _undying_," he winced as the alcohol burned his throat, "love for you."

"I..." Elena hesitated, "I knew what it meant for you to admit that to me. I should've been more—"

"Hey, I was dying," Damon brushed off her apology, "You don't have to explain anything to me." He lifted the bottle to her, "A goodbye kiss. Nothing more. Nothing less."

Elena flinched. "Don't..." she clenched her jaw, "It wasn't like that. I wasn't _saying goodbye_. I just f-felt..."

"Sorry for me?" Damon guessed, a self-deprecating grin tugging at his lips. "It's okay, Elena. You acted with honor and integrity and every other word that Katherine never was."

"I didn't," Elena snapped, "I didn't feel _sorry_ for you." She stepped towards him, "I just..._felt _for you."

Damon slammed the bottle down onto the table at that, turning to face her. "That doesn't sound a whole lot different, Elena."

"Maybe," she looked down, "Katherine was right a-about the spell. My blood wouldn't work." She took a deep breath, still staring at the ground. "I do love Stefan...but I did want to kiss you that night," she admitted, her gaze rising to meet his hesitantly. "Believe it or not...and I don't know _when _this all happened," she tried to smile, "You do have a place in my heart, Damon." He stared at her, his expression etched with disbelief. "And I do like you," Elena continued quietly, reaching out to grasp his hands. "Just the way you are."

Damon's expression didn't change as she stepped closer, dropping one of his hands so that she could raise a hand to his face. Keeping her gaze fixed on his, she slid her hand around his neck and into his hair, pulling him infinitesimally closer. Her breath hitched as their lips brushed lightly once, then twice. Elena closed her eyes when she felt Damon smile against her lips as he murmured, "I think I like you, too." And then his hands were cupping her face, and his lips were on hers. Heat flared in her veins he backed her into the nearest wall, and she snaked her arms around his shoulders, sighing into the kiss.


	10. In the Dark

**A/N: **im glad everyone enjoyed the D/E moment last chapter ;) this one picks up right where we left off...

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><p><em>Too much<em>, Elena thought frantically, her head falling back against the wall as Damon's lips grazed along her jawline before tracing a path to her throat. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she dimly registered that maybe they should stop—but then his lips covered hers again and every thought she had left disappeared. She might have whispered- or moaned- his name as she desperately sucked in a mouthful of air, because she distinctly heard him chuckle before muttering against her skin, "Less talking." Tingles spread through her body, and she instinctively arched under his touch—

"_Ahem_."

Damon whirled around, his hands sliding off her hips. Elena's eyes flew open to see Katherine and Bonnie standing by the kitchen door, their expressions ranging from amusement to wide-eyed shock. "Impeccable timing," she heard Damon say dryly, and Katherine smirked in response.

"I'm—water," Elena managed to say, avoiding meeting Bonnie's inquisitive gaze. In her haste to get out of the room, she accidently brushed by Damon and her shoulder burned from the renewed contact. "Sorry," she muttered, hurrying into the kitchen. She opened one of the cabinets with jittery fingers, her hand fumbling for a glass.

"Elena?"

Startled, she jumped, and the glass tipped forward off the shelf. Elena winced, shutting her eyes—but the expected sound of glass shattering onto the floor never happened. She slowly reopened her eyes and looked up. Damon stood next to her, his expression unfathomable. Her gaze dropped down to his hand, which was holding the glass. "Th-thanks," Elena stammered, and Damon wordlessly handed it over.

It didn't escape her notice that he deliberately moved his fingers to avoid touching her.

The silence in the kitchen grew to an uncomfortable tension as Elena needlessly focused on filling the glass with ice cubes and water. Her entire body felt like it was on fire, and she gulped down the contents in an effort to cool down. She made the mistake of surreptitiously peering over the rim of the glass—to see Damon watching her carefully through narrowed eyes. "Feel better?" he questioned when she put the empty glass down on the table.

"Fine," Elena responded immediately, "I'm fine." She gestured weakly behind her, "We should probably get back in there before they come looking for us."

"Wait," Damon reached out as if to grab her wrist, but then seemed to think better of it. "Back there..." he trailed off, seeming almost wary of her reaction.

Elena opened her mouth, but couldn't think of anything to say. "Intense," she finally offered, her gaze flicking up to meet Damon's. "It was intense."

"Sorry to interrupt," Katherine said, appearing at the door and not sounding apologetic at all. "But Bonnie wants to get this spell done…you _do _still want to find Stefan?" she shot at Elena pointedly.

Elena flushed, and she rubbed her arms subconsciously. "Yes, of course," she said quickly, ignoring the glare that Damon sent in Katherine's direction. "Whose blood are we going to use?"

"Mine," Katherine announced, leading the way back into the living room. Bonnie was sitting within the circle of candles again, holding a vial of blood in her hands. She looked up when the three of them entered the room, and her gaze flickered with judgement when Damon sat down next to Elena.

"Alright, I don't know if this will work or not since Klaus is an Original and I would suspect that he can't be found using a simple locator spell..." Bonnie shrugged, "But we'll try it and see what happens." Turning away from them, she closed her eyes and raised her hands above the silver bowl in front of her.

The candles around her immediately flared to life, throwing long shadows around the room. With practiced hands, Bonnie used a dropper to suck in the blood from the vial, all the while murmuring words under breath. "_Ostendo mihi qua Exemplar Klaus exuviae!" _Bonnie whispered finally, letting a drop of blood fall onto the globe.

The droplet seemed to fall in slow motion, and it hovered in the air as the globe began spinning of its own volition. Damon leaned forward in spite of himself, keeping his eye on the blood. "Look," Elena clenched his arm, "The globe stopped turning!"

"But the blood didn't fall yet," Katherine hissed back, getting to her feet silently. "Why isn't..." she trailed off when there was a sudden _pop! _and the drop of blood disappeared in mid-air.

"Damn it," Damon growled, running his fingers through his hair in frustration. "The blood properties of an Original must somehow protect the owner from being found by a witch," he mused darkly, "It would explain why Klaus has managed to hide for all these centuries..."

Bonnie heaved a sigh, looking weary. "I'm sorry guys," she said tiredly, turning to look at Elena. "I did my best...I don't think this locator spell is going to work."

Elena tried to smile, "It's not your fault. If only Klaus wasn't impossible to find..."

Katherine, who had been pacing across the room, suddenly stopped and pointed to the pile of Stefan's belongings that Damon had gathered earlier. "What are those for?"

"I thought that once we found out where Stefan was, we could use his DNA to send him a message," Bonnie explained, staring at the items unseeingly. "To tell him that help was coming...like when I sent Elena that note to tell her that Damon and Stefan were on the way to save her from Rose and Trevor."

"But you don't _have _to know where he is to send a message, right?" Katherine asked, looking at Bonnie expectantly. "Because the note will automatically appear wherever he is...?"

"And what good would that do?" Damon snapped, "_Oh look Stefan, we're sending you this note to let you know that we have no idea where you are because Klaus isn't leaving a trail of dead bodies, could you maybe try convince him to do something drastic? Oh and by the way, thanks for sacrificing your life for mine, I know that must've sucked—"_

"The sarcasm isn't helping anybody," Katherine interrupted coldly, "At least _I'm _thinking of ways to..." she abruptly trailed off, her eyes suddenly lighting up.

"Oh God, I know that look," Damon said moodily, narrowing his eyes at Katherine. "You've just come up with some sort of plan that will most likely end up with getting us all killed, haven't you?"

"You underestimate me, Damon," Katherine pouted, turning her attention onto Bonnie. "Emily once told me about a spell that allows you to...establish an open connection with another person," she bit her lip pensively, "Have you heard of it?"

"An open connection?" Bonnie repeated slowly, "I've read about it...but I've never done one before." She looked hesitant, "It's a fairly advanced spell."

"Oh come on," Katherine wheedled, "You've used a lot of power before; this one shouldn't be too different."

Elena frowned, "Wait, what exactly is an open connection? Is it...dangerous?"

"It would require Bonnie to connect her mind to Stefan's," Katherine explained. "If it works right, then we can open up a two-way communication channel."

"We can talk to him and he can talk to us," Elena surmised, eyeing Katherine dubiously. "What are the risks?"

"Like I said, it takes a good amount of power," Katherine repeated, "But the result would be worth it."

"Just hold on a second," Damon cautioned, kneeling down next to Bonnie. "Look," he lowered his voice, "You know that Stefan is on human blood again."

"Yes."

Damon glanced up at Elena before continuing, "You know that his mind might not exactly be a pretty place right now."

Bonnie hesitated but nodded, "That thought had occurred to me, yes."

"If he flipped the switch," Damon began, but then stopped uncertainly. "He might...I mean, the humanity in his mind might be unreachable to your powers," Damon met Bonnie's gaze squarely. "Are you sure you can handle it?"

Bonnie swallowed, but she looked determined, "Yes."

Elena, who had been watching this exchange silently, also knelt down. "Bonnie, I don't want you to do something that you're not comfortable with...we don't _have _to do this. We can think of something else..."

Katherine scoffed, "You know we're out of ideas, Elena."

Elena gritted her teeth, but Bonnie placed a hand on her arm complacently. "She's right," Bonnie said quietly, "Stefan's already been gone for more than a week, and we've run into dead ends on every other idea we've had. I _can _do this, trust me."

"Okay," Elena stepped back, even though she still didn't agree with the plan. "What do you need?"

"I just have to...find...the spell," Bonnie frowned as Katherine handed her the grimmoire that had been lying open on the floor. "You found it?" she asked disbelievingly, "That was fast."

"Emily showed me the page before," Katherine shrugged, tucking her legs underneath her body as she sank down onto the sofa. "You don't need any other ingredients; just an item that belongs to Stefan, which we already have."

Bonnie bent over the book, reading the spell intently. After a few minutes, she glanced up at Katherine. "Did Emily ever attempt the spell?"

"Not that I know of," Katherine replied delicately, "Why?"

"No reason," Bonnie shifted the book off her lap and settled herself in the center of the candles. She methodically folded the grey shirt and placed the comb and toothbrush on top of it, before raising her hands above the small pile. "_Fides meus mens per unus alius," _she began in a steady voice. Almost instantly, a soft glow of light appeared from her fingertips and spread in a circle around Stefan's belongings.

"_Is est a sanctus fides quod," _Bonnie continued, letting out an involuntary gasp as Power shot through her body and seemed to clench around her heart. Her head fell forward as she grappled desperately for air. In the background, she could vaguely hear Elena calling out her name in concern, but Bonnie couldn't find the strength to answer her. Taking in a deep breath, Bonnie haltingly kept moving forward with the spell, fighting against the drain of energy.

"_V-volo annecto per Stefan Salvatore!" _she cried out finally, and the Power slammed into her with full force. Holding on for dear life, Bonnie shut her eyes tightly, letting the spell carry the bond of two minds. She could feel the Power searching for Stefan, until -with a sudden _click!- _it all seemed to fall into place. The Power settled, and Bonnie apprehensively called out in her mind. "_Stefan_?"

There was no answer.

"Stefan?" she tried again, "Can you hear me?" All was dark and silent for a few moments, until she felt something shift in her mind. "Stefan? Is that you?"

Elena was crouching in front of Bonnie worriedly. She glanced back at Damon, "Do you think she's okay?"

Damon's arms were crossed as he studied Bonnie closely, "It looks like she's in some sort of trance."

"That means that the spell worked and their minds are connected," Katherine said promptly, "They must be communicating now..."

"You sure know a lot about it," Damon shot at her suspiciously, "Are you certain Emily never tried it out?"

Katherine opened her mouth to answer when suddenly a terrible scream filled the room. "Bonnie!" Elena shouted, scrambling to her feet. "Bonnie, what's happening?"

Bonnie screamed again, her eyes rolling to the back of her head. Blood streaked down her face, and unexpectedly her entire body began convulsing. Katherine was on her feet, looking shocked. "The circle! Get her out!"

Damon didn't even think twice before leaping forward to remove Bonnie—unfortunately, the flames on the candles shot to the ceiling the second he neared her and he roared in pain as the Power blasted him backwards. "Damon!" Elena cried out in horror. She began moving towards him, but stopped and sent a frantic look back at Bonnie.

Katherine waved her off, "I'll try to get her out. Go ahead."

At that moment Damon groaned loudly, and Elena's indecision won out as she rushed over and dropped to her knees beside him. "My god, are you okay?"

"Fine," he muttered, stumbling to his feet as Elena helped him up. "I'm starting to get the feeling that Bonnie's Power really doesn't like me..."

"Are you sure?" Elena asked again, her voice shaking slightly. Damon was about to brush off her concern when he noticed that both of her fists were clenching onto his arms in an unbreakable grip.

"Come here," he muttered, pulling her into a hug. "I'm okay," he repeated in a softer voice, before murmuring into her hair, "You can't get rid of me that easily."

Elena let out what sounded like a strangled laugh before tugging him in for a tighter hug, "Good."

They had just pulled apart when all the candles suddenly went dead, throwing the room in complete darkness.

Bonnie slumped to the floor.


	11. Playing With Fire

**A/N: **the reviews are all amazing guys, thank you! oh and for those of you wondering, I do write Bonnie's spells in Latin :)

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><p>When Bonnie woke up, the first thing she noticed was the sunlight streaming through the window. She squinted, her eyes taking a few seconds to adjust to the brightness. She looked around, vaguely recognizing her surroundings as Jeremy's room. Her gaze drifted to the right and she saw Jeremy himself sitting on a chair near the bed, a somber expression on his face.<p>

"Who died?" Bonnie joked weakly.

Jeremy didn't crack a smile, "This isn't funny."

"No, I guess not," Bonnie agreed, using her hands to push herself up into a sitting position. Her muscles screamed with protest at the movement, but she was careful not to let any of the pain show on her face. "So…" she began tentatively, "How long have I been sleeping?

"It's nearly noon," Jeremy answered stiffly, "So twelve hours, give or take."

"Oh," Bonnie glanced down at what she was wearing; pajama bottoms that were definitely Elena's, and an oversized T-shirt that she didn't recognize.

"We washed the blood off your face," Jeremy continued in a hollow voice. "And then Elena got you dressed in something that wasn't _soaked _with blood."

Bonnie inwardly flinched.

Jeremy continued staring at her accusingly.

"Hey," she tried to smile and held out her hand to him. "I'm okay, see?"

His jaw was clenched, "You looked half-dead by the time Damon brought you here."

"Jer," Bonnie stretched out her arm towards him again, and he begrudgingly held his hand out. She immediately enclosed it with her own and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "I'm okay," she repeated softly, "Just a little tired…but nothing some rest and relaxation can't fix."

"I thought I told you to stop trying to get yourself killed," Jeremy said hoarsely, "Do you have any idea what it felt like to see your…_corpse _last night?" He stood up abruptly, and his hand fell out of her grasp. "I can't lose any more people, Bonnie! I j-just can't!"

The aches in her bones forgotten, Bonnie struggled out of bed to wrap Jeremy into her arms. "Shh," she comforted, "You're not going to lose me, okay? I'm right here…"

"Promise me you'll stop doing these advanced spells," Jeremy suddenly insisted, pulling away from her embrace so he could look her in the eye. "Please, just promise me this."

Bonnie hesitated, but then she noticed the dark circles under his eyes and the paleness of his skin. She raised a hand up to his cheek worriedly, "Did you sleep at all last night?"

"You're avoiding the question."

"And you're avoiding mine," Bonnie returned, but in a gentler tone. "Look, I'll promise not to do any more dangerous spells, but on one condition."

Jeremy frowned, "Which is what?"

"If the life of someone I love is in danger," she said seriously, "I will use whatever means is necessary to save them. Agreed?"

"Bonnie…"

"Those are my terms," Bonnie said firmly, "Take it or leave it."

Jeremy sighed, but a hint of a smile appeared on his face, "You drive a hard bargain, Bennett." He leaned forward and kissed her lightly on the lips, "I agree to your terms."

"Good," Bonnie smiled at him, and looped her arms loosely around his neck. "I'm sorry I worried you."

His posture relaxed slightly as he returned the grin, "Just don't do it again." He kissed her once more before releasing her, "Now, hurry up and shower. I'll tell Elena you're awake…everyone's been waiting downstairs to hear what happened."

Bonnie nodded and watched him leave.

Her smile faded.

.

.

Jeremy bounded down the stairs, noticing that only Tyler and Caroline were left in the living room. "She's awake," he informed them, and Caroline sighed with relief.

"Wait till that girl gets down here," she huffed, "I'm gonna give her a piece of my mind—"

"Chill," Tyler laughed, casually throwing an arm around Caroline's shoulders. "I'm sure Bonnie feels bad enough without you getting on her case about the spell."

"She could have died!" Caroline exclaimed, crossing her arms indignantly. When Tyler continued to stare at her appeasingly, she rolled her eyes. "_Fine_, I won't yell at Bonnie..."

Elena walked out of the kitchen at that moment, holding a plate stacked high with pancakes. She marched over to Jeremy and shoved the plate at him. "Eat," she ordered, her frown deepening as she studied him. "And after you're done, you _are_ going to sleep. No excuses."

"Gee," Jeremy responded sarcastically, "Good morning to you, too." When Elena didn't respond, he rolled his eyes and purposefully took a large bite of the pancakes. "Oh by the way," he mumbled through a full mouth, "Bonnie's awake."

"She is?" Elena asked eagerly, and Jeremy nodded in affirmation. "Thank god," she murmured, "I'll go see if she needs anything." She didn't wait for Jeremy's response and hurried up the stairs. "Bonnie?"

"In here," Bonnie's voice answered from the shower down the hall. She gave a short laugh, "It's taking longer than I thought to wash all this blood off."

"Yeah, well, there was _a lot _of blood..." Elena trailed off, before shaking her head. "Hey, how about I find something for you to wear? Just come to my room when you're done." She waited for Bonnie's confirmation before walking back into her room and staring pensively into her closet.

"I thought I told you," an irritated voice snapped, "To call me the second that the witch woke up." Elena gasped, dropping a handful of hangers that clattered loudly onto the floor. She whirled around to see Damon sitting on her windowsill, his arms crossed. "Well?"

"What are you _doing _here?" Elena exclaimed. She glanced over his shoulder at the window, before looking back at him again suspiciously. "Are you still watching over my house?"

"No," he said unconvincingly, "I was just in the neighborhood."

She rolled her eyes before saying defensively, "Well, I _just _found out Bonnie was awake and I _would've _called you if you'd given me a chance to." She reached down to pick up the hangers and asked casually, "How's Katherine?"

Damon's voice hardened almost imperceptibly, "Says she had no idea any of that would happen."

Elena turned around to face him, "Do you believe her?" When Damon only shrugged in response, she frowned and examined his expression closely. "Are you feeling okay? You don't seem...yourself." He didn't respond, and she moved forward to sit next to him. "You're worried that Bonnie might not remember anything?"

"Considering our luck?" Damon leveled her a look, "I'd say that was a possibility."

She nodded to show that the thought had occurred to her as well, and she leaned wearily against his shoulder. His arm encircled her shoulders in response, and he brushed a kiss onto her forehead. "I wish I could tell you everything was going to be okay," he said almost wistfully, "But I promised myself that I would always be honest with you."

"I know," Elena said back, straightening. Her breath caught when he reached up to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, his fingers brushing her cheek. They stared at each other for a few moments, before he abruptly leaned forward and kissed her on the lips once.

Then he disappeared out the window.

Elena stared after him in confusion, but then there was a knock at her door. "Yeah?"

"Hey," Bonnie smiled as she walked in a second later, dressed in shorts and one of Jeremy's sweatshirts. "I hope you don't mind, but Jeremy gave me some of his old clothes to wear."

Jeremy walked in behind Bonnie and said in an offhand voice, "Why would she mind?"

Elena had the feeling that he got a kick out of seeing Bonnie wearing his clothes. "Yeah, no problem..." she trailed off when there was a knock on her bedroom door, and Damon walked in. He sent a wink in her direction before turning to Bonnie.

"So, you're awake."

"I am."

"Took you long enough."

"Why?" Bonnie challenged, "Were you worried?"

"Me?" Damon scoffed, but then he smirked and dropped the act. "In all seriousness, I'm glad you're okay. Do you..."

She took a deep breath, "Yeah. I remember."

.

.

Twenty minutes later, everyone was seated in the living room; except for Bonnie, who remained standing. She delved right into the story without embellishment, "I knew right away that the spell had worked. I could feel my mind connecting with Stefan's." She looked at them apologetically, "I'm not sure how to describe it."

"Was it..." Elena bit her lip, "I mean, how did it work? Were you able to see what he was seeing? Were you _there _with him?"

"Not at first, no." A faraway look came over her eyes as she tried to remember how it had first felt like. "It was dark," she said eventually, "And I couldn't see anything. I kept calling out his name, until I felt his mind shift. I guess that was when he first realized what was happening."

Caroline leaned forward, her eyes wide. "Did he know it was you right away?"

"He was confused," Bonnie said slowly, "And I kept trying to explain what was happening but...it was hard getting through to him. The human part of his mind was difficult for my powers to reach."

"But you _did _manage to tap into his humanity?" Damon asked, his brow furrowed with concern. "Eventually?"

"Yes, I think I did, at least." Bonnie paused, "The darkness lifted and I was able to see what he was seeing." She didn't have to look up to know that everyone in the room was hanging onto her every word. "They were in a forest," she began, "It was nighttime." Her lips turned down at the corners, "I know that doesn't help with the location...but at least you know he has to be on this side of the globe."

"Because it was also nighttime here," Alaric nodded in understanding, "Go on."

"Klaus was there," Bonnie took a deep breath, "He was talking to Stefan about how it was time to start moving again because they hadn't been very discreet in the last town." She swallowed, "Stefan agreed with him." She felt her voice catch, but forced herself to keep talking. "And then Stefan said that they should at least get rid of the bodies...a-and he turned around—"

"What?" Elena asked in a shaky voice, "What did you see?"

"I-it was the most horrible, _vile_, grotesque..." Bonnie shivered involuntarily, seeing the pile of carnage flash in her mind's eye. "The bodies...ripped to shreds, missing limbs...blood _everywhere_," she could feel bile rising in her throat, "The mangled corpses were piled high." She closed her eyes, "And that wasn't even the worst part. I could _feel_ everything that Stefan was feeling at that very moment...and the second he looked over at what he had done, there was th-this sense of _pride; _of accomplishment."

The room was eerily quiet.

Damon broke the silence, his voice sounding rough. "What happened next?"

"I think—no, I _know_ that he felt my disgust, my horror at the situation..and he sort of took a step back." Bonnie twisted her hands in her lap, "Well, I'm not sure what expression came over his face, but suddenly Klaus stopped talking. He walked over to Stefan and asked him if he felt alright...Stefan said he was fine, but Klaus just kept standing there, staring at him." Bonnie felt a tremor run down her spine, but she quickly shook it off. "I f-felt like he was staring _right _at me, but I knew that was impossible..."

It was strange telling a story that had a pre-determined unhappy ending. Everyone knew that the spell had ended badly, yet they were all waiting on tenterhooks to find out exactly where it had gone wrong.

"And then Stefan said something about how he was just upset because Elijah wasn't there to join in on all the fun they were having...Klaus laughed at that and said 'Not to worry, Stefan, I always keep my brother close to my heart,' and then he turned around and looked at something." Bonnie pursed her lips, "I got the feeling that maybe Elijah's body was close by...and then Klaus said it was important to keep family close because family always comes first."

"That sick bastard," Tyler spat, "He killed his whole family and—"

"Shh," Caroline grabbed his arm, but kept her eyes trained on Bonnie. "Let her finish."

Bonnie swallowed again; now they were getting to the hard part. Jeremy reached over and squeezed her shoulder, giving her a sympathetic smile. "It's almost over," he said quietly, but she wasn't sure if he was talking to her or himself.

"Stefan laughed and then he lit a match and set the pile of corpses on fire. They were standing there, watching it burn...but then suddenly Klaus grabbed Stefan's shoulders, and he looked him the eye...and said he knew something was going on. Said he could feel the witchcraft. The Power." Bonnie shook her head, "He looked so angry...it was terrifying." Her shoulders slumped forward, "Then he Compelled Stefan to tell him what was going on."

"Compulsion?" Damon asked sharply, "While your minds were still connected?"

Bonnie nodded, shuddering. "The pain was unbearable...my Power was refusing the Compulsion but Stefan's mind was struggling to answer Klaus' question. In the end I don't think Stefan actually said anything, but Klaus guessed what was happening."

Alaric had his face in his hands, and Damon was clenching and unclenching his fist. Bonnie had a feeling that he was itching for a drink. "I assume that's when the screaming started," Elena whispered, her voice sounding bleak.

"Probably," Bonnie answered, and Jeremy gripped her shoulder even more tightly. "Klaus looked straight into Stefan's eyes and said he knew I was there...and if I ever tried anything like this again, he would kill every single person that Stefan or I cared about...until there was no one left."

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><p><strong>*hmm hope i made Klaus scary enough ;) <strong>


	12. Skinny Love

**A/N: **a few throwbacks to episodes 2x21 & 2x22 in this chapter! thanks again for everyone's wonderful reviews :) enjoy!

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><p><em>"And I told you to be patient <em>  
><em>And I told you to be fine<em>  
><em>And I told you to be balanced<em>  
><em>And I told you to be kind."<br>__-_Skinny Love

* * *

><p>Elena stood at the kitchen counter, her shoulders hunched over as she made herself a cup of tea. Her motions were mechanical, and she didn't even pause to think before raising the scalding hot water to her lips. It burned her tongue and singed her throat, but it did nothing to penetrate the numbness spreading through her body. The silence rang heavily in her ears, and she clenched her hand around the teacup even more tightly. The living room behind her had gone oddly quiet, and she couldn't hear the sound of anything besides her own heartbeat.<p>

Still, she knew the moment that she was no longer alone.

"I just need a second to myself," she heard herself say, "I'll join you guys in the living room in a few minutes."

This time, she heard his footsteps walk closer to her—but she still didn't turn around. "I _said_ I wanted to be alone."

"I heard you," Damon answered, and she guessed from his voice that he was standing directly behind her. His hand came up to rest on her shoulder, but she jerked away from his touch. As she twisted around to sidestep him, she caught the flash of vulnerability on his expression before it became smooth and unreadable once more.

She wasn't aware of taking a seat at the kitchen table, so she blinked in some confusion when Damon slid into the chair across from her. His gaze searched hers questioningly, "Talk to me, Elena. What are you thinking?"

Elena scrunched her eyebrows together as she tried to make sense of the question. _What was she thinking_? She ran through the thoughts in her mind methodically before settling on the main point. "I should've allowed him to take more blood," she said finally, in a concluding tone. "Then none of this would have happened."

To say that Damon looked confused would've been an understatement. "Excuse me?"

"We were building up his tolerance to human blood," Elena explained, avoiding eye contact. "I let Stefan drink a small amount of my blood everyday because I had hoped..." she sighed moodily, "But I should've let him drink more. If I hadn't been so scared of giving him too much—"

"Wait," Damon interrupted, looking incredulous. "Are you seriously blaming yourself for this? Elena, it's no one's fault—it's not like any of us could have predicted that any of this would happen!"

"I know we couldn't have _predicted _it," Elena snapped, some emotion finally returning to her voice, "But we could have _prepared _for the possibility." Her fingers tightened around the cup in her hand until her knuckles turned white. "What if I had given him more blood from the beginning? What if he had truly learned to control the blood lust?"

Damon didn't respond immediately, and it was clear he was choosing his words carefully. "We can never fully appreciate the consequences of our actions, Elena," he said slowly. "Yes, you _could _have force-fed Stefan more of your blood...but what's to say that he wouldn't have gone off the deep end back then?"

"But even if he had...at least he would've been surrounded by people who care about him," she whispered, "We could've helped him get back on the right track."

"And we still can," Damon said in a low voice, "He hasn't completely forsaken his humanity yet, Elena."

She stared at him for a few moments before standing up abruptly and moving to look out the window. She rested her hands against the sink before speaking again, "You heard what Bonnie said...th-that Stefan looked at all those people he had killed and felt _proud_."

"Yes," Damon acknowledged, "But what she sensed was his vampiric side." There was a scrape against the floor as he pushed his chair back to join her. In an instant, he had blurred across the room to where she was standing. "Any ripper _would_ feel proud looking over a pile of human corpses that he had slaughtered."

Elena shivered.

Damon instinctively raised his arm to slide around her shoulders, but thought better of it and let his arm fall back to his side silently. "There is still some human left in him," he said quietly, "He did fight against the Compulsion to help Bonnie...he _wanted _to save her from Klaus."

She took a deep breath, and eventually nodded her head. "You're right. Stefan did try to help Bonnie." Elena turned around to meet Damon's gaze, and he felt his unbeating heart twist when he saw the unshed tears she was struggling to rein in. "That means he _can _be saved, right?"

Damon cupped her chin and forced her to look at him, "Listen to me. I _will _get Stefan back, understand? Klaus doesn't get to win; not this time, not ever." He hesitated, but gave up the pretense and pulled her into his arms. He half expected her to pull away, but she only buried her face into his chest. For the first time, there was no tension between them -the embrace was simply a means to give comfort, and Damon soothingly ran his fingers through her hair as she relaxed against him.

'_We've kept Elena human, right? We found a way when there was no way...'_

"We'll find a way," Damon echoed Stefan's last sentiments, "We always do."

"Thank you," Elena murmured, so quietly that he almost didn't hear it. "Thank you for doing this."

_'Hey,' Stefan said seriously. The pain in his gaze was unmistakable, but his voice was strong with determination. **'I will do this.'**_

Damon snapped back to reality when there was suddenly a loud thud from the living room. He broke apart from Elena just in time to hear Jeremy roar, "ABSOLUTELY NOT!"

Elena's eyes were wide as she ran into the living room and she looked around wildly, "What is it? What's happened?"

Jeremy and Bonnie were the only two on their feet, standing on opposite sides of the room. Bonnie's arms were crossed, but Jeremy looked furious. "Tell them!" he ordered, "Go ahead and tell them what you just told us!"

Bonnie's eyes flashed at his tone, but she turned to face Damon and Elena instead. "Look," she began, "We've been talking about what Stefan said..."

"Yeah, we've been discussing that too," Elena stepped forward, sending a confused look at her brother. "Damon was saying that Stefan must have some humanity left in him because he had the sense to try and save you from Klaus."

"I agree," Bonnie nodded, but she looked hesitant. "But I was talking more about what Stefan said about Elijah." She glanced briefly at Damon, "Don't you think Stefan was dropping a hint about Elijah's location?"

Damon's eyes narrowed, "And why would we care about Elijah's location? The son of a bitch double-crossed us, in case you've forgotten."

"I know," Bonnie said quickly, "And I hate him for that just as much as you do..._but _there had to be a reason that Stefan mentioned his name! What if Elijah is our only way to save Stefan?"

"I don't understand," Elena shook her head, "What are you saying? I know that you thought Elijah's body must've been near to wherever Klaus and Stefan were...and I guess they could be carting the body around somehow—but I don't see how that could help us. I mean, well, Elijah is dead."

"He's only dead because he's been staked with the dagger," Bonnie corrected.

"No," Damon suddenly growled, "I _forbid _you to do this."

If Bonnie was surprised, she didn't show it. "Careful," she said warningly, "You don't control me, Damon."

"You'll only get yourself killed," Damon hissed, "And I won't allow it!" He took a step towards her, perhaps to stop her from leaving—but within the next second, his face contorted and he doubled over in pain.

There was an instant uproar.

"Bonnie!" Caroline exclaimed in shock, "What are you doing?"

"Is that really necessary?" Alaric demanded, "He was only trying to—"

"Hey!" Tyler suddenly moved so he was standing in between Bonnie and Damon. He looked apprehensive as turned to face Bonnie, but his face was set. "Just stop it, alright? NOW!"

"Fine," Bonnie said evenly, but she kept her gaze focused on Damon even as she released her hold on him. "Stay where you are," she said in a low voice, "Unless you want another little migraine."

Damon was on his feet again almost immediately, but he didn't move towards her. He glared at her, looking murderous, "If you ever do that again—"

"Don't stand in my way, and I won't have to."

"Could someone please tell me what's going on here?" Elena interrupted loudly, turning to frown at Bonnie. "What is it that you're planning on doing, exactly?"

"I need to get the dagger out of Elijah's body," Bonnie said firmly, "He is our only chance at killing Klaus."

"Bonnie, you still don't know where Klaus and Stefan even are," Elena explained patiently. "I understand why you think Elijah would help—especially since Klaus betrayed him...but they could be anywhere!"

Alaric cleared his throat, "Bonnie seems to think that she doesn't need to, ah, actually _be _there to bring Elijah back to life."

"I don't understand," Elena said slowly, "What spell would let you do that?"

"It's not a spell I can do on my own," Bonnie answered, for the first time looking uncomfortable. "I would need to go back to the witches' burial ground...They could use their powers to lift the dagger out of Elijah's heart even if we don't know his exact location."

"No," Elena said, understanding immediately why both Jeremy and Damon had been so against the idea. "The witches are already upset with you for using their magic to bring Jeremy back to life. There is no way that I'm letting you go back to them for another favor!"

"They would want Klaus dead just as much as we do," Bonnie argued, "He defies the balance of nature!"

"No," Elena insisted, "You can't predict what their reaction will be!"

Bonnie fell silent and her gaze drifted around the room before landing on Damon. "I thought _you _of all people would understand the need to do anything necessary to get Stefan back," she said coldly, "I guess I was wrong."

Damon's voice lowered dangerously, "I will do anything to get my brother back, Bonnie."

"I thought Emily Bennett and the rest of them hated vampires," Caroline pointed out in a reasonable voice, "What if they ask you for some kind of sacrifice or something?"

"Then, I'll deal with it." Bonnie said shortly. "If I don't do this, then we'll all be in danger. Klaus already knows that we're trying to get Stefan back, and he's already threatened us once. I won't let him get away with what he's done." She paused then, "I'm sorry."

"Bonnie..." Damon snarled, but he never even had the chance to stop her. She raised one hand, and her eyes flashed. Almost instantly, Damon, Caroline, and Tyler shouted out as they fell to the ground simultaneously, completely incapacitated.

Elena looked at them in horror before shrieking at Bonnie, "What are you _doing_!"

"I'm sorry," Bonnie repeated calmly, "But I have to do this." Before Elena could respond, Bonnie raised her other hand. Elena screamed as she went flying backwards, along with both Jeremy and Alaric.

"Y-you can't be serious!" Jeremy shouted as he found himself pinned to the wall, unable to move a muscle. "BONNIE!"

"Don't do this!" Elena writhed unsuccessfully against the wall. "Please!" she pleaded, "You'll get yourself killed!"

Bonnie ignored them and moved towards the door. "Wait!" Jeremy yelled, "You promised! You promised me you wouldn't do any more of these spells, remember?"

"Yes," Bonnie responded quietly, "I said I wouldn't do anything unless the people I cared about were in danger." Jeremy gaped at her, and she gave him a small smile before blowing him a kiss. "I love you," she said clearly, "Don't forget that."

Then she left.

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><p><em>"And now all your love is wasted<em>  
><em>Then who the hell was I?<em>  
><em>'Cause now I'm breaking at the britches<em>  
><em>And at the end of all your lines."<em>


	13. The Lost

**A/N: **sorry for the bit of the delay in getting this chapter out! for some reason the characters were being rather stubborn and not doing what i wanted them to! lol but hopefully it all worked out in the end...enjoy!

* * *

><p>Tyler walked in front of them, kicking branches out of the way every so often until Damon would've gladly strangled him. "<em>How<em>," Damon began in a steely tone, "Am I supposed to hear anything in these woods with you creating all that racket?"

He paused, looking distracted. "Am I being loud?"

Damon scowled and threw Caroline an exasperated look. She rolled her eyes before turning to Tyler with a bright smile. "Um, why don't you try looking over there?" She gestured vaguely to the East, "Me and Damon will keep heading in this direction. Whistle if you see anything suspicious."

"_Whistle_?" Tyler repeated incredulously.

"Yep, we'll hear it!" Caroline said reassuringly, grabbing Damon's arm and pulling him away before he could say anything else to Tyler. She turned once and waved, watching as Tyler confusedly began walking in the direction she had indicated. Once they were out of hearing distance, Caroline slowed down. "He's only trying to help, you know. You could be nicer."

Damon gritted his teeth, trying very hard not to lose his patience. "Caroline?"

"Hmm?"

"Bonnie is _missing, _the Original that betrayed us may or may not be back from the dead, and my brother is still bound to Klaus." He paused to glare at her, "I so do _not_ have the capacity to be nice right now."

Caroline crossed her arms, but remained uncharacteristically silent.

After Bonnie's spell had worn off, they had all immediately made their way to the decrepit-looking house on the witches' burial ground. Unfortunately, Bonnie had been nowhere to be found. The six of them had circled the house repeatedly, but it was no use.

In the end, it was decided that the witches probably wouldn't appreciate either vampires or werewolves entering the house; so, it was Alaric, Elena, and Jeremy who were elected to search the inside. Damon, Caroline, and Tyler had taken to searching the woods around the house.

As they walked deeper and deeper into the woods, Caroline became increasingly fidgety. "We've been walking around these woods for two hours," she said, stopping suddenly. "I don't think Bonnie's in here."

Damon paused, but didn't turn around. "Then we'll keep looking," he said flatly, "Until we find her."

"But—"

He growled, whirling around to face her. Caroline took an instinctive step back when she saw the veins beginning to appear around his eyes, "I _said_, we'll keep looking."

Caroline hesitated, but then she straightened and looked him in the eye. "Damon, this is a waste of time and you know it. You're," she gestured dramatically, "Blaming yourself for something that was out of our control!"

Damon's eyes flashed dangerously, but she still didn't back down. She hesitantly walked forward and placed her hand on his shoulder, "Stefan knows we're trying to find him. So does Bonnie." She gave him a small smile, "That's all that matters."

After a moment, the veins disappeared from his eyes. He didn't meet her gaze, but jerked his head back the way they had come. "You're right," he muttered, "Bonnie's obviously not here...let's just go find our wolf buddy and get out of here."

Caroline nodded, letting him lead the way as they retraced their footsteps. "Tyler blames himself you know," she informed Damon quietly, "Because this whole mess started with the werewolf bite."

"It's not his fault," Damon replied shortly, quickening his pace. "Honestly, what's with everyone else trying to blame themselves for this? First Elena, now Tyler..."

"Elena blames herself? For what?"

"She thinks she should've fed Stefan more human blood while he was still around...she thinks it's her fault he hasn't gotten control of the blood lust yet." Damon glanced at Caroline, who was shaking her head.

"That's ridiculous."

"That's what I told her."

"I mean, it's no one's fault," Caroline chattered away, "Except for Klaus, of course."

Damon made a noncommittal sound.

Caroline considered him for a second. "A good friend once said something to me," she said, a faint smile appearing on her lips, "And I'll never forget it...because it meant that someone could see the real me, you know?"

"And I suppose you're going to tell what that was?" Damon asked. His voice sounded bored, but Caroline could tell he was listening intently.

"They said, y_ou don't have to pretend with me_."

"Sounds like the type of thing Stefan would say."

Caroline grinned, "You know your brother well." Damon didn't respond, and Caroline went on cheerfully, "So did you know that Stefan's, like, the only guy friend I've ever had?"

"Doesn't surprise me," Damon commented lightly. After a moment, he glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, "I guess we skipped the whole friends stage."

"Well, considering I was Compelled for the entirety of our relationship..." Caroline trailed off when she caught sight Damon's expression. It wasn't often that she saw true emotion on his face, but she recognized the flash of regret. She sighed and looked away, "But we're friends now." Damon nodded once, giving her a brief smile. She smiled back before waving to Tyler, who was waiting for them at the edge of the woods.

.

"So I guess you guys didn't find anything useful either?" Tyler asked as the three of them walked back to the house. "I couldn't find signs of a struggle anywhere...I figured if someone took her, Bonnie would be smart enough to leave us a clue or something."

Caroline shook her head, "We didn't find anything either. Let's hope Team Human had better luck..."

"It doesn't look like they did," Damon answered, gazing at the house. Alaric, Elena, and Jeremy were all sitting on the porch; none of them looking particularly hopeful. A few minutes later, the group of six reconvened. "Nothing?"

"Not even a sign of the witches," Jeremy grumbled, "I thought for sure they'd make an appearance to kick me out of their house or something."

Damon frowned, "Why? Because Bonnie brought you back to life?

"Yeah," he shrugged, "I mean, they obviously weren't very happy about that."

"Don't worry about it," Damon clapped a hand on Jeremy's shoulder before leaning in conspiratorially, "Besides, there's no way they'd ever hate you as much as they hate _me_."

Jeremy let out a reluctant grin before his expression became serious, "So, what now? It doesn't look like we're going to find anything here..."

"I'll just check around the house one more time and then we can head back and figure out what to do," Damon replied, standing up. He nodded to Alaric, "Get everyone to the car. I'll be right there."

Elena hung back, "What are you looking for?"

He began circling the side of the house, running his fingers along the walls. "It's just something that wolf-boy said..."

"Tyler?" she asked as she followed behind him, "What did he say?"

"He said something about how Bonnie would be smart enough to leave a clue if she was taken by someone," Damon answered, his sharp gaze raking the ground. "I just have to find it..."

Elena watched him silently for a few moments. "Thank you. For not doubting that she was still alive."

Damon paused, turning to look at her. "We'll find her," he said firmly, "Bonnie's a fighter. She'll survive whatever the witches have in store for her."

She frowned, "You think they sent her on a mission or something?"

"Maybe," Damon shrugged, "They might have needed some sort of talisman to complete the spell..." He trailed off to glare at the house, "If only Emily Bennett deemed me worthy enough to _speak _to, maybe I could've gotten some answers."

"Have you tried?" Elena asked suddenly.

"Tried what?"

"Talking to them?"

Damon laughed out loud. "Elena, the last time I set foot in there, they tried to burn me alive. I highly doubt they'll be speaking to me."

Elena looked slightly hopeful, "No harm in trying, right? Maybe the clue that Bonnie left behind _was _with Emily."

He looked at the earnest expression on her face and suppressed a groan. "Alright," he agreed begrudgingly, "I'll try..."

She smiled and took his hand within hers, leading him back to the front door. Elena gave him an encouraging look when the door didn't slam shut in his face, and pulled him into the main room. It was surrounded with unlit candles, presumably from when Bonnie had attempted the spell earlier. "So," Elena said nervously, "Should you...call upon the witches?"

"They know I'm here," Damon said, and a loud creak from the walls echoed throughout the house at that moment, confirming his thoughts.

They waited in silence for a few minutes, but nothing else happened.

"Maybe this was a dumb idea," Elena said uncertainly, looking disappointed. "It doesn't look like they're gonna say anything to us."

"Don't worry," Damon said, sliding an arm around Elena's shoulders, "We'll find Bonnie some other way. Who needs Emily Bennett anyway, right?"

"Right," Elena said half-heartedly, trying to return the smile. To his surprise, she turned to him and kissed his cheek lightly. "Thanks for trying, though," she whispered, reaching down to grasp his hand again. "Let's get out of here."

As they neared the front door, he heard it.

_Her _voice.

Damon turned slightly, letting Elena's hand go so that she could keep walking. She crossed the threshold and stopped, twisting back around to see Damon. "What's wrong?"

"I thought I heard—"

The door slammed shut.

"_Damon_!" Elena shouted, and he could hear her pounding on the door. "What's going on?"

He tried to reach out to open the door, but a sudden force threw him backwards into the opposite corner of the room. He winced as he slammed into the wall, and his arms were splayed out to the sides as the force pressed relentlessly against him. "If you wanted to talk," he growled, "All you had to do was ask."

'_Damon Salvatore_.'

"Emily Bennett," he muttered darkly, "I see you've finally decided to make an appearance."

'_Why do you seek my help?' _

"Because I have no other choice," he retorted, and the force suddenly whipped against the side of his face. Damon's head snapped to the side, and he hissed in pain. "Alright, alright," he grumbled, "You know why I'm here...Little descendent Bennett is missing, and I need to find her."

He waited.

Silence.

The force that had been holding him back abruptly released him, and he fell to the ground. There was a thud as the front door flew open and Elena came rushing in. "Damon!" she ran to him urgently, helping him up. "Are you okay? The door...I don't know what happened—wait, was it Emily? Did the witches do something to you?"

"I'm fine," Damon scowled, "Emily was completely useless. I don't know why she bothered to—" He suddenly heard a sharp whistling in his ears, and he dived in front of Elena as a pointy object shot through the air, missing them by inches before embedding into the wall.

Seconds later, Caroline appeared at the doorway, her eyes wide. "Oh thank god," she said breathlessly, before yelling out the door, "They're okay!"

Damon looked at the object in the wall before turning to Caroline angrily, "_Explain_."

"No, it wasn't us!" she exclaimed, "We were sitting in the car, and suddenly that _thing_ went flying by and it was heading straight for the house..."

Damon and Elena exchanged a glance.

"Okay," he said drily as he ripped the object out of the wall, "I think we've worn out our welcome." Damon led the way outside, raising an eyebrow when he saw Alaric, Tyler, and Jeremy waiting by the porch.

"What the hell was that thing?" Tyler asked, nodding towards Damon. "Were the witches trying to get you out of their house?"

"As you can see, they're not too subtle about..." he trailed off, for the first time noticing what he was holding.

"What's wrong?" Elena asked with a frown, "Damon?"

Alaric's eyes narrowed, "Isn't that—"

"The dagger," Damon finished, holding the object flat in his palm so everyone could see.

Jeremy blinked, "But...that's impossible! How can it be here?"

"I'd appreciate if you put that infernal dagger away," a voice said from behind them, "I'm getting rather tired of dying, you see."

Damon whirled around, his gaze darkening, "Elijah."

Elijah smiled pleasantly before stepping to the side. A smaller figure stood behind him, her eyes glinting as she radiated Power.

_Bonnie._


	14. Trust In Me

**A/N: **ah, the return of Elijah...I've been waiting for this ;)

* * *

><p>Katherine was slouched against the freezer in the basement of the Salvatore boarding house, sipping lazily at a blood bag. She savored the taste on her tongue briefly before downing the rest of the bag in a single movement.<p>

When she was done, Katherine licked her lips with a satisfied smile and had just begun ascending the stairs when she heard the faint sound of the lock turning at the front door. She froze momentarily before blurring into the living room and grabbing a letter opener off the coffee table. The second that the door opened, she leapt into the hallway and hurled the object at lightning speed.

Her mouth dropped open as the person who walked in caught it without batting an eye.

"Elijah," she gasped, taking an involuntary step backwards, "You're alive!"

"What's the matter?" Bonnie asked, walking in next and sending a challenging look in Katherine's direction. "Didn't think I could pull it off?"

"It's not that," Katherine said quickly, backing up further as everyone else strolled into the boarding house. Her gaze darted to Damon and she hurriedly added, "It's just that, the last I heard, you were…missing."

"She _was _missing," Jeremy said in a hard voice, "And we're still waiting to hear what happened, now that you mention it."

"Elijah, I'm sure you must be thirsty after your…um, death," Elena said stiffly, "You can go down to the basement and help yourself to the blood bags in the freezer."

Damon looked like he was going to protest, but then he gritted his teeth, "Yes, Elijah. Help yourself."

Elijah tilted his head, a flash of amusement coloring his gaze. "I think I will," he agreed, and then he disappeared downstairs.

"Okay," Damon said, walking into the living room and perching on the armchair. He spread his arms expectantly, "We're waiting."

"Well, first of all," Bonnie began tentatively, "I guess I should apologize."

No one responded to this, though it was clear what everyone was thinking.

"Right," she drew out the word, dropping her gaze to the ground. "I'm sorry about going off on you guys like that…I know it wasn't—I mean, I would never intentionally use my powers against my friends."

"So why did you?" Jeremy demanded. He didn't look as upset as Damon, but there was still a certain coolness in his tone. "We had no idea what happened to you—for all we knew, you could've been dead!"

"I know," Bonnie said, looking abashed. "If it helps at all, I didn't know what was going to happen...I just thought that I would go speak to the witches and see if they would even _consider_ helping."

"So?" Caroline asked curiously, "What happened when you got there? Were they mad at you?"

"At first, yes," Bonnie admitted. "Emily said I had no business asking for another favor...especially after the last one they had granted." She paused to glance at Jeremy before continuing in a slightly subdued tone. "But then I told them that I _needed _to put an end to Klaus—"

"And suddenly they were singing a different tune?" Damon asked skeptically. He narrowed his eyes, "You're not telling us something."

Bonnie took a deep breath, "Okay, so I don't know how much you guys know about..." She frowned as she tried to explain, "The Power within me is sort of like a force on its own...it is what makes witches servants of nature." Her brow furrowed in concentration, "It was like something within me was driving me to right the balance of nature. To fix the scale that Klaus has tipped over the edge."

"Is this your way of not claiming any responsibility for your actions?" Damon asked bluntly, "Because I don't buy it."

"Look," Elena interrupted before Bonnie could respond, "None of us are going to pretend like we understand, well, _any _of this." She crossed her arms tightly, "Could you just tell us what happened afterwards?"

Bonnie hesitated, "The witches said they understood because they could feel the pull of the Power, as well. Together we raised the dagger out of Elijah's heart..."

"Don't forget about the welcome back treat you conjured up for me," Elijah commented as he walked back into the room. He raised a glass to Bonnie, "Tell me, was that even a real bear?"

"It was of our creation," Bonnie answered with a small smile, "But yes, it was real."

Damon was staring at the glass in Elijah's hand, "Is that my scotch?"

"Yes," Elijah replied pleasantly, "And I thank you for your hospitality."

"My—"

"What happened after you woke up?" Caroline interrupted, her gaze flicking between Bonnie and Elijah. "Did you...know where you were?"

"After I had finished draining the beast, it took me a few minutes to regain my bearings," Elijah answered thoughtfully. "But then I remembered what had happened...with Stefan, and with Klaus..."

"Doesn't feel so good to stabbed in the back, does it?" Damon said sardonically, "Maybe you'll think twice next time..."

An awkward silence followed.

Elijah swirled the contents of the glass in his hand for a moment before speaking carefully. "I have always been a man of my word—even when I was human. As I'm sure you all know, when one becomes a vampire, their human traits are amplified. It was no different in my case. Therefore, you'll understand that I deeply regretted my actions...and the consequences that followed."

"I trusted you," Elena said suddenly, speaking directly to Elijah for the first time. "Even when other people told me not to."

Damon shifted at this, but didn't say anything.

"So many people died that day," Elena continued, her voice beginning to waver with emotion. "Jenna because Klaus _wanted _her to...and then John sacrificed his life for mine..." She slowly stood up from the armchair, and Damon stood up with her. It wasn't a conscious act on his part, but he suppressed the urge to stand in between her and Elijah.

He knew that she had to do this alone.

"You let Klaus live," she said through clenched teeth, "When everyone that I _loved _had to die. Tell me how that's fair, Elijah." She was visibly shaking from the effort of holding back tears now, "_Tell me."_

"It's not fair," Elijah responded quietly, "And I am sorry. But you have to understand..." Elena looked up angrily at that, but Elijah quickly motioned for her to let him keep speaking. "No, listen to me. _You..._and possibly everyone in this room _has _to understand. After all, you all understand the meaning of family."

"God, what a prick," Tyler muttered audibly.

Katherine hid a smirk, but Caroline's eyes widened as she tried to shush Tyler. "He's a freaking Original, you can't call him a..."

"No!" Tyler snapped, pulling himself out of Caroline's grasp. He strode up to Elijah with no trace of fear, "You have the _nerve _to stand here and lecture us about the meaning of _family_?" Tyler's eyes had darkened, and the flash of gold was unmistakable. "Especially after what happened to Elena? And even Damon—whose brother had to give up everything to save the only family he has left? Not to mention that Klaus was responsible for putting my _mother _in the hospital—"

Caroline hurried over to Tyler as his voice became increasingly enraged. "Hey, look at me," she whispered, grabbing Tyler's shoulders even as he tried to fight the anger coursing through his veins. "Look at me," she commanded again in an authoritative tone. "You're okay; you're stronger than this." She met his gaze steadily, gripping his upper arms until Tyler's erratic breathing slowed.

Katherine flipped her hair over shoulder, looking impressed. "Nothing like a _hot_ werewolf," she said suggestively, ignoring the possessive glare that Caroline sent in her direction.

"We can talk in circles all day about whose fault this is," Alaric said loudly, "And frankly I don't care. For me, it begins and ends with Klaus. But what it comes down to is that we're all here because we care about finding Stefan." He paused and glanced at Katherine before amending, "Well. Most of us, anyway."

Elijah nodded, "Of course. Well, as I was saying, I eventually remembered what had happened. I realized that Klaus must be nearby—but it was then that I felt a...well, almost a compulsion. It is difficult to describe...it was a sort of magnetic pull."

"The draw of the Power," Bonnie supplied, "Leading him to the source that brought him back. Emily told me to meet him at the border and lead him the rest of the way."

"Wait," Jeremy said with a frown, "So neither of you actually _know _where Stefan and Klaus are?"

"Not to worry," Bonnie reassured them, "See, when Elijah was drawn back to Mystic Falls, he left a trail of Power behind him. So, all we have to do is follow the breadcrumbs." She smiled brightly, and Damon begrudgingly nodded at her.

"Nice work Hansel and Gretel," he deadpanned. He glanced at Elijah, "So, what can you tell us? How can we kill Klaus?"

"I have several ideas," Elijah answered slowly, "But I will need to do some research before speaking to you about them." He placed the glass down on the table before folding his hands together, "There is a book that I must obtain. When I do, you have my word that I will return here at once."

"Yes, because your _word _means so much to us," Damon said, not bothering to lower his voice.

Elijah turned to Elena and reached out to grasp one of her hands gently. "Give me a chance to redeem my honor, Elena. I swear I shall return by first light."

She hesitated, debating. Eventually, she nodded, "This your last chance, Elijah. _We _have the dagger. If you betray us again—"

"Understood."

Then Elijah was gone.

Katherine looked disgusted, "So not only are you trusting him to help, but you're also trusting him to _come back_?" She shook her head as she stomped up the stairs, "You're going to regret this. _All _of you."

Elena closed her eyes briefly and took a deep breath, "Okay. It's past midnight and everyone needs to go home and get some rest. Elijah won't be here till dawn, and there's nothing we can do until then, anyway."

"What about you?" Alaric questioned, "Aren't you coming?"

"No. I'm the one that..." Elena bit her lip, "I should be here. In case Elijah comes back early or something."

"But—"

"Not to worry, Ric," Damon cut in, "I'll make sure she's safe."

It took a few more minutes of convincing, but eventually the group filed out of the boarding house. Elena gratefully locked the door behind them before sinking onto the sofa tiredly. Damon stood in front of her, looking like he wanted to say something. She waited, but then he shook his head. "It's been a rough few days, Elena. You should get some sleep, too. I can stay down here and wait for Elijah, if you'd like."

Elena slid off the couch and settled in front of the fireplace, drawing her knees up to her chest. "You think Katherine was right, don't you?" She glanced up at him, "That I shouldn't have trusted Elijah?"

Damon shrugged, turning towards the crackling fire. In the darkness of the room, the flames cast his face into shadow so she couldn't see his expression. "Your capacity for forgiveness is one of the things that..." he trailed off and took a deep breath, "One of the things that I love about you."

She dropped her head onto her knees, letting her hair fall over her shoulders to hide her face. "I haven't forgiven him for betraying us...but, he was right." She didn't have to look up to know that Damon would be staring at her in bewilderment. "He was right that I would understand _why _he did what he did. He was desperate for family, and he was desperate to believe that some semblance of family still existed in his brother."

Damon chuckled at that, and she felt the rug beneath her shift as he sat down next to her. "Stefan and Elijah share some characteristics where that's concerned."

Elena sighed, a sense of weariness washing over her. "I hope he finds the book he's looking for," she said, her eyes glowing from the firelight. "I hope..."

"I know," Damon said quietly, his arm settling around her waist to draw her in closer. "You need to sleep," he whispered, and she felt her eyelids begin to flutter shut despite her resistance.

"I need to wait for Elijah," she mumbled, leaning against Damon's shoulder. "It's my responsibility to..." she trailed off as she felt Damon's arms wrap securely around her before murmuring soothing words in her ear. Elena tilted her head upwards to tell him that she was absolutely _not _going to fall asleep, and was startled to find his face only inches away from hers.

She could feel her heart pounding as he slowly lowered his head, his lips brushing against hers. "Sleep," he murmured again, and she felt her head fall against his chest in response. Damon gently stroked her hair, watching as she drifted off. His gaze moved to the fireplace, letting the flickering flames lull him to sleep.

* * *

><p><strong>*look it's a miracle...i didn't end on a cliffhanger! =P<strong>


	15. Dangerous Reflections

**A/N: **soo I finally caved in and got myself a twitter :) the screenname is the same, feel free to follow me for updates about the fic and whatever else!

* * *

><p>Damon didn't know what it was that made him wake up, but suddenly his eyes flew open. He lay perfectly still for a few moments, but all he could hear was Elena's steadily beating heart. He glanced down at her, his lips curving upwards slightly when he saw that her head was still nestled in the crook of his shoulder and her arm was wrapped securely around his chest.<p>

He absentmindedly brushed her cheek with his thumb, marveling at the innocence in her expression. Damon let his gaze drift to the window, noticing the faint light on the horizon—it was almost sunrise. His vampire senses abruptly on alert, he immediately looked towards the front door.

And there was Elijah.

Damon lifted his head off the ground, being careful not to disturb Elena. He examined Elijah, his eyes narrowing on the thick book the Original held in his hands. Damon lifted a finger to his lips to indicate that Elena was still sleeping before pointing into the library next door. Elijah nodded to show that he understood and strode silently out of the room.

He paused at the threshold, however, to watch as Damon gently lifted Elena in his arms and moved her to the sofa. Elena murmured in her sleep, and Damon made shushing sounds before covering her with a light blanket from the couch.

Elijah shook his head and moved into the library, taking a seat at the table. He laid the book out in front of him and began perusing it while he waited for Damon to join him. After about ten minutes, a refreshed-looking Damon entered the room. He leaned against the doorway and crossed his arms before stating, "So. You actually came back."

"I am a man of my word, Damon." He considered Damon's expression before remarking, "Though I must say that you don't seem very surprised to see me...you must have trusted that I would be back since you never tried to stop me from leaving."

"I _trusted _that the dagger was in our possession, as was a very powerful witch," Damon corrected, "If you had disappeared, then we would have found you."

"Perhaps," Elijah acknowledged. He paused, tilting his head towards the living room where Elena was sleeping, "You two seem to have grown closer since I last saw you."

Damon didn't respond.

"Don't get me wrong," Elijah continued, "I am glad she has someone to turn to in the midst of all this tragedy."

"Seeing as how most of this tragedy was indirectly _your _fault—"

"I am aware of that," Elijah interrupted, and he looked slightly agitated for a second before composing himself once more. "You forget that I knew Jenna well. She was a good woman; kind, generous."

"Just the type of person that Klaus would target, it seems," Damon responded coldly.

Elijah looked away, tapping his fingers upon the table lightly. "How is your charming girlfriend? Andie, I believe her name was?" When Damon looked confused, Elijah reminded him, "I met her at that dinner party. You know, the one when I was stabbed with the dagger—for the first time, anyway."

Damon let his fingers brush against the numerous titles lining the bookshelves, without looking at anything in particular. "She's dead."

"_Dead?" _

"Turned into a vampire by Klaus, compelled to give me a message." He cleared his throat, "She went after Jeremy. I…had to stake her."

There was a brief moment of silence.

"I am sorry."

Damon turned back around, but didn't comment further. Instead, his slid into the seat across from Elijah and nodded towards the book. "So, tell me. What's with the top secret mission?"

"I'm still working on the translation," Elijah said as he pushed the book across the table, "But it shouldn't take long."

"Is that Latin?"

"Similar. But older."

Damon began flipping through the book, but his hand stilled over a diagram showing the cycles of the moon. "What is this?"

"A theory I have...about the time that Klaus will be most vulnerable."

"The full moon again?"

"No," Elijah said immediately, "Klaus will be extremely dangerous during his next transformation. No, we have to stop him before that happens."

"What then?" Damon asked, his brow furrowing as he attempted to decipher the scrawled text. "What does this say about the new moon?"

"I believe it translates to the day when a werewolf's senses will be the most weakened," Elijah answered, "Though, of course, that will do nothing against his vampire side."

Damon leaned back in his chair, contemplating. "The new moon is in two days," he pointed out, "And if you want to get rid of Klaus before the next full moon, then this would be our only option."

"Yes, I am aware of that," Elijah responded tersely. "Bonnie and I have discussed the possibility of infusing the dagger with Power. I believe—"

"Elijah."

Both vampires turned around to see Elena standing at the doorway, the relief evident on her face. She smiled at Elijah, "Thank you for returning." Her gaze flicked to Damon, but then she noticed the book on the table and stepped forward in interest. "Is that what you were looking for?"

"Indeed it is," Elijah nodded. "However, it will take me a few more hours to get the translation down. It should be ready by the time everyone else arrives."

"Okay," Elena agreed, some hopefulness finally returning to her eyes. "I'll go get ready and then we can all figure out what the plan is." She smiled again before disappearing upstairs.

.

Elena walked down the hallway, her steps growing slower and slower before faltering completely outside Stefan's room. She took a deep breath and placed her palm flat against the door, but somehow couldn't find the courage to push it open.

At that moment, the floorboard creaked loudly behind her and Elena whirled around, startled.

"Hi!" Caroline said brightly, holding a small duffel bag in her hands. "I figured you'd need a change of clothes and stuff so I stopped by your house."

"You scared me half to death," Elena chided, but grinned gratefully. "Thanks...I was kinda dreading going in there," she added, gesturing behind her to Stefan's room.

"Understandable," Caroline said immediately, squeezing Elena's arm lightly in reassurance. Then she clapped her hands together, "How about you go shower and get ready, and I'll go downstairs and make us breakfast?" She grinned, "I'll get the boys to help out."

Elena laughed, "Damon _does _like to cook..."

"I _do _have super hearing," Damon retorted loudly from downstairs, and both girls dissolved into laughter. Caroline shot her another devious grin before disappearing downstairs.

Elena smiled after her, but waited until she had left before venturing further down the hallway. She took a deep breath, looking up and down the hallway before slipping into Damon's room.

She swallowed as her glance fell on his bed, her mind flashing with images from the night he'd almost died. She shook off the memories, determinately walking past the bed and not looking at it again. She smiled slightly when her gaze fell upon a full length mirror in the corner of the room. Typical.

Elena placed the duffel bag on the floor next to the mirror, and slowly pulled off the sweater she'd been wearing. The Salvatore boarding house maintained a cool atmosphere year-round, and she found herself shivering in just a tank top. Without thinking, she raised the sweater to her face, breathing in Damon's scent.

Then she shook her head-_what was she doing_? She tossed the sweater onto the floor, and happened to look in the mirror again.

She screamed.

Elena stumbled forward, frantically pulling open drawers in the dresser until she found a stake. Someone grabbed her arms, and she shrieked. "No! Get away from me!" She stabbed out with the stake blindly, and the person clenched onto her wrist. Vaguely, she could hear someone calling her name.

"ELENA!" Damon finally bellowed, and she stopped struggling in his arms. He put her back down onto the ground, and she stared at him with wide eyes. The stake dropped out of her hand and clattered loudly onto the wooden floor.

Her gaze moved to the people standing behind Damon; Elijah, Katherine, and Caroline.

_He _wasn't there.

Damon was gripping her shoulder tightly, his gaze wild and frantic. "What happened?" he said urgently, giving her a little shake. "What did you see?"

"He's gone," Elena said shakily, "I t-turned around, and he was gone."

"_Who_?" Katherine demanded loudly, and Elena flinched.

Elijah turned to look at Katherine, faint disdain in his expression. "Your tact is astounding," he informed her, and she huffed in defense.

Damon ignored both of them. "Elena?" He tipped her chin up so he could peer into her eyes. He lowered his voice to a gentle tone, but she could see the darkness gathering in his eyes. They had turned from an icy blue to a downright stormy grey. "Who did you see? Was it...Stefan?"

She shook her head once. "No. It was—I mean, I could've sworn I saw..." she took a deep breath, "Klaus."

The silence was deafening.

"No," Caroline said quickly, "B-but that's impossible! Why would Klaus be _here_? It doesn't make any sense!" She turned to look at Elijah, "_Right?" _

_"_I don't..."

"Search the house," Damon said sharply, "Everyone. _Now_."

"He's gone," Elena said dully. She didn't know how she knew, but she did. "Klaus wouldn't stick around. He's made his point. He knows we have Elijah..."

Damon stood up when no one moved. "I'll search the town. He couldn't have gotten far—" He broke off when Elena suddenly grabbed his arm, looking scared.

"I'll do it," Elijah said, his gaze flitting between Damon and Elena. "You should stay here with her," he addressed Damon before turning to Katherine, "And _you _can come with me."

"But, I..."

"Or I could compel you to come with me," Elijah went on casually.

"Alright, alright," Katherine muttered, throwing a dark look in Caroline's direction. "Doesn't she have to help, too?"

Elijah nodded at Caroline, "Call the others. Tell them what has happened."

"Yeah," she answered distantly, the shock still clear on her face as she followed Katherine and Elijah out the door.

Elena suddenly realized that she was still gripping Damon's wrist, and she abruptly let go. He was staring at her with an odd expression, and she could feel the tension thicken between them. "Are you okay?" Damon asked finally, stepping towards her cautiously. "Klaus didn't say anything to you? He didn't try to hurt you?"

"No," Elena looked up at the mirror and shivered involuntarily. "All I saw was his reflection...he was _smiling_."

"I guess he knows you're alive, then," Damon said, running his fingers through his hair. "That can't be good."

Elena's eyes widened as she realized the implications of this, "You don't think..." She didn't finish the sentence, and Damon sank down onto the bed. After a moment, he reached out for her hand and tugged her towards him. She sat down next to him, keeping their hands entwined. "Thanks for staying with me."

"Whatever happens," Damon said seriously, "I won't let anything happen to you."

"I know," Elena said, watching as his gaze dropped to her lips before he began leaning forward.

Then, Damon was suddenly hit with a strong sense of Power.

In shock, he backed away from Elena and blurred to the center of the room in bewilderment. Seconds later, he heard footsteps pounding on the staircase—Bonnie hurried into his room, with Caroline at her heels.

"Bonnie?" Elena stood up, looking concerned. "What's wrong?"

Her eyes were wide, and she was breathing hard. "I woke up this morning...t-there was a body on my doorstep." When everyone looked horrified, she hastened to add, "I don't know who it was. The sheriff is over there now...but that's not the worst part."

She rummaged in her pocket and pulled out a rumpled piece of paper, before handing it to Damon. He snatched it out of her hands, his expression growing stony as he read it.

_I did warn you.  
>-Klaus <em>


	16. Always Watching

**A/N: **a few people were wondering what the "Power" mentioned in the last chapter had to do with. it's briefly answered this chapter :) enjoy.

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><p>"This is simply outrageous," Carol Lockwood snapped, her arms folded as she stared down the sheriff. "I tell you to step up your game against the vampires, and <em>this <em>is what happens?"

The sheriff looked stressed, and Damon decided to intervene. He pushed himself off the wall and smiled at Mrs. Lockwood appealingly. "You can hardly blame Liz for this...It's not like anyone has even reported a vampire sighting."

"Yes, probably because they've all _died _before they got a chance to," Carol dismissed Damon, and turned around to speak to the rest of the council. Behind her back, the sheriff and Damon exchanged a look.

Somehow news of the dead body had spread like wildfire through Mystic Falls, and Carol Lockwood had promptly called an emergency Council meeting. It was now nearly noon, and Damon was growing increasingly annoyed with the situation.

At that moment, there was a knock on the door to the sheriff's office and one of the deputies stuck his head in. He didn't look surprised to see a council meeting in progress, but he motioned only to the sheriff. "Positive ID on the body just came in," he said, handing her a piece of paper. She nodded her thanks and shut the door as she read over the note.

"Well?" Mrs. Lockwood said impatiently, "What is it?"

The sheriff briefly glanced up at Damon before answering, "This says that the person wasn't even from Mystic Falls. He was reported missing from Florida three days ago."

"From Florida? How the hell did a missing person from Florida end up on the Bennett's doorstep?" Carol demanded, "What did the coroner's report say? How long had the person been dead?"

"The report isn't in yet," the sheriff answered in a harassed voice, "And I have no idea how the body ended up in Mystic Falls."

Damon clenched his jaw, his mind running through the various possibilities. It didn't make sense—Bonnie had told him that she had met Elijah on the northern border of Virginia, so how could the missing body have come from the south? Was Klaus trying to throw them off his trail?

"Council," Mrs. Lockwood addressed the small circle of members lining the walls of the sheriff's office. "I think it is perfectly clear that Sheriff Forbes is no longer up to the task of keeping this town safe from the vampires. We have had tragedy after tragedy hit Mystic Falls, and now this?" She shook her head, a self-righteous look passing over her face. "I've had enough, and I know the rest of you share my concerns. I think it's time to bring in someone who's more…shall we say, _competent _at their job."

Liz looked stunned and Damon moved forward, "Carol, I think you're taking this a little too far. We can't exactly bring in someone new…there aren't a lot of people who would understand the, ah, special nature that this job entails."

"Damon, as mayor, I have to do what I feel is best for this town. I'm sure I'll be able to find someone...appropriate."

"Liz is doing the best she can," Damon said through gritted teeth, his patience wearing thin. Sheriff Forbes sent him a grateful look; he was the only one verbally supporting her. Whether the other council members agreed or not, it was clear that no one was willing to go against the newly appointed mayor.

"Well, that's not good enough, is it?" Mrs. Lockwood turned back around and said firmly, "Okay, I hereby adjourn this meeting. I will let you know when I find a suitable replacement for Mrs. Forbes."

"It's still _sheriff,"_ Liz interrupted icily, but Carol ignored her. The rest of the council members slowly filed out of the office, some looking sympathetic but others looking satisfied with the turn of events.

Damon hung back as he watched Carol and Liz have some sort of silent showdown. "I'm doing this for your own good, you know," Mrs. Lockwood said finally. "We don't want the founding families to think you're some kind of…vampire sympathizer, or something."

"Excuse me?"

"If the town doesn't see you making progress against these vampires, it's only natural to assume that—"

"That's enough," Damon said sharply, and he strode up to Mrs. Lockwood so they were standing face to face. "You are going to regret doing this," he hissed, "Mark my words."

"Consider them marked," she replied in a hard tone, stepping away from him. She reached over to the coat rack to pick up her purse, when she happened to look outside the window.

It was perhaps bad luck that Tyler and Caroline were walking past that minute, hand in hand. Damon started forward, but Mrs. Lockwood had already opened the door. "Mom!" Tyler said in surprise, "What are you doing in the sheriff's office?" He walked in, his gaze flitting between the three people standing there. "Mrs. Forbes," he greeted, "Is everything alright? Any more news on that dead body?"

"Nothing that we're releasing to the public just yet," Liz answered stiffly.

Caroline looked confused, but she tried to cover it up. "Me and Tyler were just going to get lunch at the Grill," she said haltingly, "Um…"

"How was your walk this morning?" Damon probed, "Find anything _interesting_?" He knew that Caroline and Tyler had been searching the woods around the Lockwood property for signs of Klaus, though he hadn't really expected them to find anything.

"No," Caroline replied immediately, "Nothing out of the ordinary."

"Well, I'm afraid I must be going," Mrs. Lockwood said, gesturing to her son. "Let's go, Tyler."

"But I told you I was getting lunch with—"

"You're busy, remember?" Carol said pointedly, "You promised to help me set up for that...fundraiser."

Tyler merely continued to look bewildered, but Caroline had already cottoned on to the fact that there was something wrong. "Of course," she said with a smile, "Raincheck?"

"Sure," Tyler responded slowly, glancing backwards once before following his mother out the door.

Caroline rounded on them as soon as the door shut. "_What _is going on?"

"Carol Lockwood is being a bitch," Damon supplied, and was amused when Liz didn't contradict him.

"I think I need a drink," she sighed, rummaging through a drawer in her desk and producing a small flask.

"_Mom_," Caroline said in a shocked voice, "Since when do you drink in the middle of the day?"

"Ah, I think your mom's earned it," Damon said, throwing an arm around Caroline's shoulders. "Come on, we should head back and see if Elijah has finished translating that book yet."

Before they could leave, however, Liz spoke up. "I know that you guys are looking for this Klaus person…but have you considered—I mean, well, would this have anything to do with Stefan?"

Damon stiffened slightly, but it was Caroline who answered the question. "So far no one has seen Stefan and I don't think he'd ever want Klaus to come back to this town. This probably has nothing to do with him."

"Well, that's something at least," Liz muttered. "Oh, and Caroline? One more thing...I'd appreciate it if you distanced yourself from Tyler Lockwood for the time being. At least until Klaus is killed, and all this is over."

Caroline made a sudden movement as though to speed forward, but Damon tightened his arm around her shoulders to hold her back. "What? _Why_? Tyler has done nothing but help! He's not…"

"Carol Lockwood is breathing down my neck, and I can't have Tyler telling her things about vampires…or about you."

"Tyler wouldn't do that!" Caroline snapped, pushing Damon's arm off. "He's my friend, and I'm not cutting him out just because you and Mrs. Lockwood are in some kind of fight!" With that, she stormed out the door, slamming it loudly behind her. Liz winced and Damon sent her a half-hearted grimace before following suit.

Caroline was stomping up the street, heading towards the Grill. She didn't notice Damon until he fell into pace with her, but she still didn't slow down. "Can you _believe _the nerve of my mom?" she fumed, "She thinks she can just—"

She broke off with a gasp as Damon abruptly grabbed her wrist and twisted her around so she was facing him. "Listen, Barbie," he said in a low voice, "Your mom is under a lot of stress right now. Cut her some slack."

"Oh that's great," Caroline hissed back, "You're taking her side now? _Typical_."

"You're acting like a spoiled child who's not getting her way," Damon snapped back, tightening his grip on her wrist. When Caroline's mouth dropped open, he softened his tone. "Look, has it occurred to you that maybe it's for the best if Tyler isn't involved with this particular mission? Klaus _did_ try to kill him before…and the new moon is the weakest time for a werewolf, according to Elijah."

"So? Klaus tried to kill _both_ of us!"

"Okay," Damon shrugged, "You can stay here, too."

"What? No," Caroline said vehemently, "This is Stefan we're talking about. I _have _to come. He's my—"

"Friend, yeah I know. Are you done with your little temper tantrum?"

"Okay, okay," Caroline muttered, but then she linked arms with him and nodded towards the Grill. "We all said we'd meet up for lunch after the search. Everyone else should be there by now."

Damon let himself be dragged along by Caroline, but he stopped them before the entrance. "One second," he hesitated, "I didn't want to mention anything this morning in front of the others, but have you noticed that Bonnie seems to be..._emitting _a source of Power? I felt it as soon as she walked into the boarding house..."

"Yeah, I felt it," Caroline frowned, "Is it because she's been using the witches' powers so much? Do you think it's dangerous?"

"It's probably not good," Damon admitted, "I'll talk to her about it later." Caroline nodded and led them inside; Damon's gaze swept across the Grill, finding Elena and Jeremy sitting opposite each other in a booth in the corner.

"Hey guys, any luck?" Caroline asked as she slid into the booth next to Jeremy, "Where's everybody else?"

"No one found anything, not that we really expected to. Bonnie went back to the boarding house to discuss the spell with Elijah because he said he finished translating the book... Katherine and Ric are over there, too," Jeremy finished all in one breath before adding, "How was the council meeting?"

Damon glanced over at Elena. She hadn't said a word since he'd sat down next to her—and it hadn't escaped his notice that she had slid further to the left to put more space between them.

"Apparently Tyler's mom was being a bitch or something," Caroline was saying, "And now my mom doesn't want me to, like, _associate _with him." She huffed dramatically, "I guess that means he can't come on our road trip tomorrow to find Klaus. Speaking of which, who _is_ going?" She looked expectantly at Damon, and he tore his gaze away from Elena.

"The humans stay," Damon said with a note of finality, holding up a hand when Jeremy began to protest. "We don't need to give Klaus a reason to use you as bait. You and Ric can stay at the boarding house with Katherine."

Jeremy looked slightly nervous, "You don't think Klaus is still in Mystic Falls, do you? Why would he only stop by this morning?"

"To scare us, obviously," Caroline answered. Then she looked back up, "What about Elena? She's human...are you making her stay, too?"

"I'm going," Elena said in a tone of voice that dared anyone to disagree with her.

Damon shrugged, "I wouldn't try to stop you." When she didn't say anything else, he nodded to Caroline and Jeremy. "You two. Go get us drinks from the bar."

"But neither of us are 21," Jeremy complained.

Damon sent Caroline an exasperated look, and her eyes widened. "Oh yeah, I can compel them," she grinned, "Okay, we'll be right back."

"I'll help you," Elena began, but Damon didn't move to let her out. She blew out an aggravated breath, but sat back down.

"So," Damon said conversationally, placing his arm on the ledge of the booth above her shoulders. "Are you absolutely certain that Klaus didn't say anything to you this morning?"

"I told you," Elena responded tightly, "I only saw his reflection before he disappeared."

"Yeah?" Damon narrowed his eyes at her, "Only it seems like you're trying to avoid me..."

Elena's gaze flicked up for a second before she huddled in her corner of the booth again. "Look around, Damon. _Any _of these people could be working for Klaus, or under his compulsion. We don't know."

Damon looked around the room, but didn't really see her point. "So?"

"They could be reporting back to him everything that they see!" she hissed under her breath, "I don't want Klaus knowing that...you know..."

He began to get a vague idea of where this was headed. "No, I don't know, Elena. Feel free to enlighten me."

She shifted, clearly uncomfortable. "Stefan needs our support right now. Klaus reporting to him that the two of us have grown...closer...wouldn't really help Stefan get past all this. You know what he's like...He's already been worried about our relationship, and—"

Damon stopped listening.

_It was always about Stefan. _

_Of course_.

"You're right," he said coolly, removing his arm and getting out of the booth. "I don't know what I was thinking."

"Wait—" Elena shifted towards to him, looking flustered. "Where are you going?"

"I'll be at the bar," he snapped, not looking at her. "I'll meet you guys back at the house later."

"Damon..." His eyes were blazing, and she swallowed, "I didn't mean—"

He turned around and left.

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><p><strong>*ah, the angst! :D<strong>

_p.s. thank you for everyone's wonderful reviews & amazing comments on twitter—I'm still figuring out how to use that site so just let me know if you want me to "follow" you on it! xoxo_


	17. Potential

**A/N: **haha well the reactions to Elena's attitude last chapter were mixed, but the general consensus was that she was trying to be a good person but seemed to disregard Damon's feelings along the way, which she often does in the show so I guess that worked out nicely. anyway, enjoy!

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><p>Elena stood outside the boarding house the next morning, her hand poised to knock the door. Her nerves were tingling with anticipation; today was the day that they would kill Klaus…and get Stefan back.<p>

_Stefan_.

The name sent a swift kick of anxiety through her veins, and she let her hand drop from the door as she leaned against it and closed her eyes. She wasn't naïve enough to think that they would find Stefan and it would all be okay—it had been nearly two weeks since he'd been taken by Klaus. That amount of time on human blood had probably done irreparable damage.

Elena shivered as she remembered the deadened look in Bonnie's eyes as she'd recounted what she had seen during the open connection spell with Stefan's mind. Elena sighed, and mentally prepared herself: Yes, Stefan was in a dark place…but that didn't mean that they couldn't all work past it together.

She had just turned back around and placed her hand around the doorknob when she was rocked with another bout of anxiety at the thought of coming face to face with Damon after the events of the previous day.

The guilt bubbled in her throat, but she tried to put it out of her mind. She knew what it must have looked like—another instance of someone choosing Stefan over him. That hadn't been her intention, but then it had been too late to take back the words. She shook her head and then squared her shoulders.

Today was about killing Klaus.

She let herself into the boarding house, and had no sooner stepped into the hallway when she heard an argument coming from the living room. Curious, Elena followed the sounds of the raised voices.

"Why do I have to _babysit_?" Katherine seethed. She was standing with her arms crossed and glaring at an equally annoyed-looking Damon.

Elena knew that both vampires would have realized she was standing there, but neither of them turned to acknowledge her presence.

"Fine," Damon snapped, "By all means, come with us—I'd be happy to hand you over to Klaus myself!"

Katherine's eyes flashed. "What if I don't want to watch over your precious little humans?" she challenged, "What if I decide to drink their—"

"Then I will not hesitate to rip your heart out, is that understood?" Elijah said evenly as he walked into the room from the library. He was accompanied by Bonnie, who looked slightly worn out.

"Are you okay?" Elena asked in concern, "Did something happen?"

Bonnie shook her head, "I was up late last night at the burial ground...We finished infusing all our Power into the dagger."

Elijah reached into his coat and pulled out the dagger to show to Elena. "The book alludes to the fact that a werewolf will be its weakest at precisely midnight on the night of new moon. If Bonnie can do another spell to slow Klaus down further, I'll be able to get close enough to stab him with the dagger." His voice took on a dangerous tone, "And then finish him off, once and for all."

Elena nodded, taking a deep breath to steady her nerves. She glanced at Damon, covertly studying his demeanor. Thankfully, he looked quite sober. She'd been worried yesterday when she hadn't seen him return from the bar, but it looked like he had everything under control for the time being.

"Hello?" Caroline's voice called cheerfully from the doorway, "We're here!"

"_We_?" Bonnie mouthed at Elena, but the confusion was cleared up when Caroline, Tyler, Jeremy, and Alaric all made their way into the living room a second later.

Damon scowled, "What is _he _doing here?"

"Don't worry," Caroline said quickly, "Tyler's not coming with us. I just figured that, you know, since Katherine is gonna be watching over Jeremy and Alaric...Tyler might as well hang out here, too." She smiled brightly, "Strength in numbers, right?"

"What exactly," Damon drawled, "Do you think is going to happen when we're gone?"

"I don't know," she shrugged, "Nothing, hopefully. But still..."

"Oh give it a rest," Katherine rolled her eyes, "What's one more kid to babysit? Who knows..." she smiled mischievously at Tyler, "We might even have a little fun."

Tyler stared at her for a minute before turning to Damon. "So, anyway, I brought my video game system...I was thinking me and Jer could hang out or whatever. That's what I told my mom I was doing, in any case. Can I...?"

Katherine looked slightly miffed at his dismissal, and a ghost of a grin flitted across Damon's face. "Yeah, yeah," he waved towards the staircase, "You can set it up upstairs. Third door on your right."

"Great," Tyler nodded, "Thanks, man." He turned back to look at Caroline, his gaze serious. "Be careful out there."

"I will," she promised. Then she hesitated, and leaned forward to kiss him on the cheek. "Be safe," she murmured, squeezing his hand lightly. Tyler studied her expression for a moment before pulling her in for a hug.

Elena smiled as she watched Caroline's eyes widen in surprise before she melted into Tyler's embrace. "I'll see you soon," Tyler said firmly, and he gave them all a wave before heading up the stairs.

"Forbidden love," Katherine remarked in a bored tone, glancing up at Damon. "Remember what that was like?"

Damon didn't answer.

Jeremy walked forward to fix his sister with an intent stare. "I know you tend to go to the ends of the earth when it comes to saving Stefan," he began, and then took a deep breath, "But I need you to promise me that you won't do anything stupid today." Elena nodded mutely, because she knew it would be selfish of her to suggest otherwise; her brother had already lost too much. He then turned to look at Bonnie, "And you know what I'm going to ask."

Bonnie smiled in return, "And you know what my answer will be." She reached up and kissed him on the cheek, "I'll be careful, okay?"

Jeremy didn't look like he believed either of them, but he nodded and moved towards the staircase. "Don't worry," Damon called after him, "I won't let either of them do anything stupid. I know they're both prone to martyr tendencies."

"You're one to talk," Elena muttered back, but Damon ignored her.

After Jeremy had disappeared upstairs to join Tyler, Alaric tossed his car keys to Damon, "The weapons are in the trunk. Everything you asked for."

"Thanks," Damon said, catching the keys easily. "And the vervain?"

"Mixed it into water bottles. There should be enough for everybody." Alaric clapped Damon on the shoulder, "I would tell you not to be reckless, but you never listen to me anyway." He turned to Elena, "Be careful." When she nodded, he exchanged another glance with Damon before heading into the library.

"Are you sure I can't come?" Katherine asked one last time, rolling her eyes when Damon glared at her. "Fine, I'll be here _babysitting_," she pursed her lips in distaste and blurred up the stairs.

"Okay," Damon drew out the word, as he stepped back and examined the remaining people in the room. "I guess we're ready to go."

Elena felt a wave of nervousness wash over her at his words, and she crossed her arms tightly. Bonnie stood up, "Alright, so...how is this going to work?"

"You four can take Ric's SUV," Damon said, handing Elijah the keys. "Bonnie, you'll be able to see the Power trail left by your spell, and Elijah can make sure he recognizes the area. I'll follow you guys in my car." He began walking into the library, "I'll get the book. You guys can go ahead."

Elijah nodded, leading the way out the door. Caroline followed without any qualms, but Bonnie paused to frown at Elena. "What's up with Damon?"

Elena bit her lip, "Look, why don't you guys go ahead? I..." she hesitated, "I'll be out in a minute."

To her relief, Bonnie didn't ask any questions. "Okay," she agreed, shrugging her shoulders. "See you out there."

She waited with bated breath. She could hear Damon conversing with Alaric, but their voices were low and she couldn't actually hear what they were saying. A few minutes later, Damon emerged from the library. He didn't appear to notice her as he balanced the book in one hand, pulling his jacket on with the other.

Elena cleared her throat.

Damon froze, glancing around the room once and ascertaining that they were alone. "What are you doing here? I told you to—"

"We need to talk."

"There's nothing to say," he tried to step around her, but she pushed back at him. Elena felt him stiffen under her touch, and she immediately removed her hand from his chest, her cheeks flushing.

"I'm not going to apologize for what I said, Damon," she said, looking up at him. His gaze darkened almost imperceptibly, but he didn't respond. "You know _why _I said what I did, but that doesn't mean that I..." she trailed off, frustrated. "We promised each other that we'd get Stefan back no matter what, and I'm just trying to live up to that! Stefan wouldn't...He wouldn't understand that you and I have a—"

"Understanding, yes, I believe we've been through this before," Damon said in a surprisingly cool voice. "Look, don't worry. When we get there, Stefan and Klaus will have no idea that the two of us are anything more than..." he hesitated here, unable to think of a suitable word. "Anything other than two people joined together for a common goal," he said finally, and he saw Elena flinch slightly.

"I don't..."

"I think we're done here," he said to her, and this time she didn't stop him as he side stepped her and walked into the hallway to leave.

"It's more than that and you know it," Elena said suddenly in a low voice, and Damon's hand tightened around the doorknob. He whirled around in anger to see her standing there, and his heart clenched when he saw the pain in her expression. "Don't act like this," she said quietly, "Don't act like none of it matters to you."

Of course it mattered—he was in love with her and they both knew it—but he felt his frustration mount. For every step they took forward, Elena somehow managed to bring them two steps back.

He gritted his teeth, "I don't know what you want from me, Elena...Yesterday you wanted me to only focus on killing Klaus and getting Stefan back, and that's what I'm doing. What exactly seems to be the problem?"

"But I want you to understand," she insisted, "I w-wasn't _choosing _Stefan over you...I was just doing what was necessary to get him back. If word ever got back to him that there was something going on between us, then it would just drive him further off the deep end and I'm just t-trying to help him and..." Elena realized she was babbling, and forced herself to stop talking.

Damon's expression was unfathomable. "We have to go," he said finally, avoiding her gaze. He walked out of the house, but stopped when he peered into the driveway. "Where are the others?"

Elena's phone beeped at that moment, and she smiled slightly at Bonnie's text message. "They just left," she informed Damon, closing the door behind her. She made her way towards his car and let herself in. "I guess it's just you and me."

Damon stared at her in disbelief before shaking his head and following after her. "Just you and me," he echoed under his breath. _Great._

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><p><strong>*hmm mini-Delena road trip! i'm sure they have A LOT to discuss along the way ;) <strong>


	18. Raise Your Glass

_**a/n**: for this chapter: remember, klaus CAN turn into a werewolf whenever he wants...BUT only Elijah knows that at this point. _

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><p>Someone was pounding at the door.<p>

Alaric glanced down at his watch.

1 minute 50 seconds...2 minutes…

The person kept knocking.

With a muttered oath, Alaric shut the book he was reading and walked out of the library. As he passed through the living room, he stopped when he saw Katherine lounging on the sofa, immersed in a journal. He glanced from her to the door, which she could obviously hear. "Oh don't worry," he said sarcastically, "I'll get that."

"Not part of my job description," Katherine said, daintily flipping a page of her book.

Alaric shook his head before striding into the hallway to pull the door open. "Oh!" he exclaimed, surprised. "Sheriff Forbes—I wasn't…I didn't know you would be stopping by." He stepped back to let her in, noticing that she looked both exhausted and worried. "Is something wrong?"

"Have they left yet?" Liz asked as she walked into the hallway, "I was hoping to speak to Damon…some, er, new developments have come up."

"They left about an hour ago," Ric informed her, leading her into the living room. "Ah, this is Katherine. Have you two met?"

Katherine sat up on the sofa, tucking the journal behind her and curling up her legs. "What seems to be the problem, sheriff?" she asked, sounding bored. "Has there been another attack?"

Liz shook her head, "No. But the coroner's report just came in about the dead body left on Bennett's doorstep."

"And?" Alaric asked curiously. His gaze flicked towards the staircase where he could see Jeremy standing, a questioning look on his face.

The sheriff also looked up at Jeremy and she took a deep breath before continuing, "He said the victim had been dead for two days, but not more. However, he had been missing from Florida for _three _days, which leads me to believe that—"

"He was alive when he got to Mystic Falls," Jeremy finished, "But that doesn't make sense."

"You mean, he was alive when he was _brought _to Mystic Falls," the sheriff corrected. Then she cleared her throat, "And that's not all...we also got news about the cause of death."

Alaric's brow furrowed, "Cause of death? The person was drained of blood...I thought it had already been ruled as a vampire attack."

"The, ah, medical examiner...she found claw marks on the victim's lower back," Liz said, folding her hands tightly in front of her. "And also...wolf hairs on his clothes."

"Wolf?" Jeremy interrupted incredulously, "There must be some mistake...it hasn't even been the full moon again! There's no way that a werewolf could be involved—"

"What's going on?" Tyler suddenly appeared behind Jeremy on the staircase, "What happened with a werewolf?"

The sheriff didn't look particularly pleased to see Tyler. "Oh, I didn't realize you were here. Although...maybe it's a good thing you are. I know you were in Florida for a while—did you meet any other werewolves down there? Maybe someone that could be holding a grudge against any of you or..."

"Well," Tyler hesitated, "Jules had a couple friends that she introduced me to. They were werewolves."

"Could you try and contact them? Tell them that there was a werewolf attack and that the victim was a Florida resident, but somehow the body ended up in Mystic Falls?"

"Aren't you guys forgetting something?" Katherine interrupted, "One, there was a note from Klaus on the body," she held up two fingers, "Two, even _he _can't just turn into a wolf when it's not the full moon." She paused, "And three, do you honestly think that there are werewolves _working _with Klaus?"

"If there's one thing I've learned from all this, it's that anything is possible," Sheriff Forbes said, exchanging a look with Alaric. "Would you mind telling the others about this?"

"Yeah, I'll call my sister right now," Jeremy said, and he disappeared up the stairs in search of his cell phone.

.

.

"Okay, let us know if Tyler gets in touch with them," Elena said in a preoccupied voice, hanging up. She turned to look at Damon, "So, you'll never guess what the sheriff just told the others." She reiterated everything that Jeremy had just told her, but Damon remained silent when she was done talking. "Well?" she asked impatiently, "Aren't you going to say anything?"

Damon tapped a hand on the steering wheel and nodded to the car in front of them, "Maybe you should call Bonnie and tell her the news."

"Tyler is already calling Caroline," Elena frowned, annoyed with Damon's lack of response. She stared out the window for a few moments, the trees speeding by in the periphery of her vision. "Are we really going to do this?" she snapped finally, "Not talk?"

"I told you before. There's nothing to say."

"So, that's it? You're just going to ignore me until we get to...wherever we're going?"

"I'm not ignoring you," Damon said flatly, "I just can't do..._this_."

"Do what?" Elena shifted in her seat so she could stare at him, and she fought the urge to reach over. "Damon. Talk to me."

When he didn't respond immediately, Elena sighed and turned away. Damon caught the expression on her face, and rolled his eyes as he steeled himself. "I can't pretend that we haven't...connected these past two weeks," he said at length, "I can't just switch my feelings for you on or off, depending on how you want me to act. Yes, I understand what you said about Klaus and Stefan—and yes, I know you're right. But that doesn't mean that it's...easy for me."

"I know," Elena said quietly, "It's not..." she hesitated, "It's not easy for me either. I don't like pretending that we haven't gotten closer. I don't like not being able to talk to you." This time, she did reach over to touch his arm, "I don't like knowing that I hurt you."

"You didn't." The words rolled off his tongue automatically, almost as a defense mechanism. One look at her face, however, told him that she wasn't convinced.

She smiled at him tentatively, "Do you forgive me?"

Damon glanced at her and pretended to contemplate his answer.

Elena saw the faint amusement in his eyes as he withheld something she wanted and she groaned dramatically. "Do you want me to beg?" she asked in a mock-threatening voice, "Because I will totally get down on my knees right now and _beg _you to start talking to me again!"

He raised an eyebrow at her, a suggestive smirk appearing on his face. "Well," he drawled, "That isn't exactly the first thing I'd expect you to do if you got down on your knees in my car—"

Elena's mouth opened in disbelief and she let out a startled laugh as she smacked him good-naturedly on the shoulder. "Why, Mr. Salvatore, I didn't realize you had such an _active _imagination."

Damon waggled his eyebrows, "Well, Miss Gilbert, you did walk _right _into that one."

"Okay, maybe I did," Elena rolled her eyes as she leaned back in her seat, feeling as though an enormous weight had been lifted off her shoulders. "I guess I should be more careful with my words," she continued in a teasing tone. When he looked over at her, she kept a perfectly straight face, "Though for a second there, I was afraid I'd lost you forever."

Damon grinned for the first time since they'd started driving. "You won't," he said, meeting her gaze, "You'll never lose me."

Elena smiled back at him, but then a flashing light caught her eye. "Look," she said, directing his attention back to the car in front of them. "They're getting off the highway."

He neatly followed them off the exit. "Bonnie's trail must have ended around here..." He peered at a road sign, "Pennsylvania."

Elena nodded, watching the passing scenery until both cars pulled into the parking lot of a large shopping mall. She got out of the car, stumbling slightly as she stretched her legs. Damon caught her arm easily and led her to where Elijah and the others were also getting out. "I couldn't sense anymore of the Power trail," Bonnie explained, "It ended by those trees we passed out near the highway."

"So, this is where you were when you came back from the undead?" Damon asked, shielding his eyes as he looked up at Elijah. "Does any of it seem familiar?"

"Not any of this, no," Elijah admitted, "I imagine it'll come back to me once we search the woods."

"So..." Elena looked around, confused. "Why are we stopping here? Shouldn't we drive to where the trail actually starts?"

"No," Elijah answered firmly, looking down at his watch. "I don't want to alert anyone to our presence before it's necessary. Let's wait until the sun sets to go looking for them. For now, we just need to determine if they are still in the area."

"I agree," Damon said, "Check the local police department?"

"Yes," Elijah replied, smoothing down his jacket. "And if they prove to be unhelpful, then we shall mingle at the nearest pub. I've noticed that humans at bars always seem to be quite _willing _sources of information."

"Sounds like a plan," Elena said, "Where do you—"

"No," Damon and Elijah said simultaneously.

Bonnie frowned, "What? You're gonna leave us here?"

"You're a witch, and Caroline is a vampire," Elijah said with raised eyebrows, "I'm fairly sure you'll be able to handle any danger at a _mall_."

"Here," Damon handed Elena the keys to his car. "We'll take Ric's car, and we'll be back in a few hours. In the meantime..." he shrugged as he followed Elijah, "Try to have a little fun?"

Elena watched in disbelief as they drove away, "Can you believe that they just—"

"Oh my god, I've been dying to go shopping for ages!" Caroline said excitedly, bouncing on her feet. She linked arms with Bonnie and Elena happily, "This is just what we needed, you know? A little good ol' fashioned girl time. With the whole life and death situation every other day, we haven't had down time in _forever_!"

"We're not here to have fun," Bonnie tried to remind Caroline, "We're here to kill Klaus."

"But that's not till tonight," Caroline rolled her eyes, grinning at her two best friends. "Hello? Shopping? Fun? You guys _do _remember what _fun _is, right? Or is it, like, not in your vocabulary anymore?"

"Alright, alright," Elena laughed finally, "Just until Damon and Elijah come back, we'll—_wow_." She broke off as they stepped into the mall. It was _huge. _"This place looks amazing," she said in awe. She glanced at Caroline, whose face was lit up.

"This must be shopping heaven," she said dreamily, "Where to?"

"Lunch?" Bonnie suggested, pointing towards the food court. "I don't know about you guys, but I'm starving."

"Okay," Caroline agreed eagerly. "_Finally_, we get to eat somewhere other than the Grill!"

.

.

"Tyler called you, right?" Elena asked as they all slid into a booth at what appeared to be a popular restaurant. Luckily, the booth was set slightly apart from the bustling tables in the middle, so they could talk freely without being overheard.

"Yeah," Caroline took a sip of water, and leaned forward. "What do you guys think? Klaus has werewolves working for him? Why would Jules' friends even do that? I mean, Klaus is the one that killed her..."

"He could have forced them into it," Elena mused, "Maybe threatened them with something?"

"Sounds about right," Bonnie said, shrugging. "I guess we could always ask him when we see him. You know, right before we kill him." Her lips pursed, "I noticed he does a lot of talking right before he kicks the bucket."

"And last time, it was his last words that ruined everything," Elena bit her lip, "But it's okay. I know we can trust Elijah this time."

"If you say so," Caroline said, flipping through the menu. She suddenly heard something and looked up. "Check it out," she said in a low voice, motioning to the large TV screen on the wall. "Number of missing people continues to grow," she read the headline at the bottom, trying to focus on the newscaster. She listened for a few minutes, knowing that Bonnie and Elena wouldn't be able to hear the low-volume. "They're saying that there's been a lot of missing people reported in the past week from Pennsylvania," she said finally, "And that the police haven't been able to find any clues."

"No dead bodies?" Elena questioned nervously, and Caroline shook her head.

"They could be keeping the bodies somewhere," Bonnie said under her breath, "Because in that spell I did when I connected with Stefan's mind, I saw a huge pile of them. I think maybe they get rid of all the bodies at once before they leave the town."

"Well," Caroline squared her shoulders, "I guess that means they're still here."

"Not for long," Elena said determinately, "By tonight, Klaus will be dead and Stefan will be back in Mystic Falls."

Their waiter came back at that moment, holding a tray with three drinks. "Here you go," he said cheerfully, "Can I get you anything else?"

"Um, there must be some mistake," Elena said with a frown, "We didn't order these."

"Oh, I know," the waiter said, gesturing behind him, "They're from that gentleman at the bar."

The three girls exchanged confused glances and looked where their waiter was pointing.

Klaus lifted his glass to them.

Then he winked.

Before anyone could react, he disappeared out the door.


	19. Of Myths and Legends

**A/N: **as the title suggests, a lot of questions get answered in this chapter ;)

* * *

><p>Darkness had just begun to fall, and the leaves crunched under Elena's feet as the five of them trekked through the woods silently. They had long ago passed the origin of the Power trail left by Bonnie's spell—the bear carcass on the ground dispelling any notions that Elijah hadn't been telling the truth.<p>

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Elena asked Elijah for the umpteenth time, "I mean, Klaus _knows _we're here. And I'm pretty sure he probably heard _why _we're here, too."

"The plan is already in motion, Elena. It does not matter if Klaus is expecting us. It changes nothing."

"But—"

"Listen," Elijah said, stopping abruptly. He lowered his voice, and both Bonnie and Elena had to strain to hear what he was saying. "That book I went to retrieve, you remember?"

"The one in Damon's car?"

"Yes. _We _are the only ones who knows what information it contains. Klaus may have overheard that we're here to kill him, but he does not know that the new moon will weaken his werewolf side. He won't be prepared."

Damon looked skeptical, "How do you know that Klaus hasn't read this book?"

For a moment, it looked like Elijah didn't want to answer the question. He folded his hands together, contemplating his words. "The book," he began slowly, "Is very ancient." He glanced up at them to see if they understood. "It is from my time."

"From your time," Elena repeated, "Is it yours?"

"The book first belonged to Klaus' father. His biological father."

Bonnie frowned, "That's why it had information about werewolves in it…because Klaus' father wrote it?"

Elijah nodded. "After my father killed Klaus' father, he brought back this book to our home and hid it. For a long time, he never told any of us about it—neither Klaus, nor my mother, nor my other five siblings. But one day, not long after the witches had bound Klaus' werewolf side to the moonstone, my father took me aside." Elijah's voice became distant, "He told me about it as a sort of warning—if anything was to ever go wrong."

"Or if Klaus ever wanted to undo the spell," Caroline muttered under her breath.

"Over the years, the book was lost," Elijah continued. "However, before I arrived in Mystic Falls, I tracked it down."

Elena had a sudden suspicion, but she kept quiet. She glanced over at Damon, who had a similar look on his face. She wondered if they were thinking the same thing.

"Where was it?" Bonnie questioned, "With Luka's family?"

"No. It had fallen into the hands of a family with werewolf heritage that had no idea what they were in possession of. Apparently, it had been passed down through several generations."

"Florida," Elena voiced what they were all undoubtedly thinking at this point. "Jules and her friends."

"There was a young girl I came across when I was passing through Florida. She was maybe six or seven years old. Her name was Larentia."

Damon looked interested at this information, as did Bonnie. "I've heard that name before," she said thoughtfully, "Wasn't that the name of a Roman goddess?"

"An Earth Goddess," Elijah clarified, "She was often associated with wolves."

Caroline looked confused, "I've never heard of her."

"_Acca Larentia _is perhaps most well-known for raising the brothers Romulus and Remus," Elijah said to her, "The founders of Rome."

As everyone processed this information, Elena was left to wonder why every single myth she had come across revolved around two brothers.

"What about this girl?" Damon demanded, "What does this have to do with the book?"

"Well, as you may have guessed, I immediately realized her family was of werewolf origin. With a little compulsion, I was invited into their home…she lived with her parents, who seemed to know nothing of the werewolf legends. Her uncle, on the other hand, had collected hundreds of books on supernatural entities. I recognized the book I wanted instantly."

"But you didn't bring it back with you," Caroline surmised, narrowing her eyes. "Why?"

"I thought it would be safer where it was. I could always go back and get it at a later time." For the first time, Elijah hesitated, "That night when Bonnie brought me back, I went to get the book and...well, the uncle had gone missing. No one knew what had happened to him. Luckily, I had already been invited into their home so I took the book and left."

"He was _missing_?" Damon scowled, "Didn't you find that suspicious? What happened to him?"

Elijah began to answer, but suddenly his head snapped up and he held out a hand, signaling them to keep silent. Elena could feel her heart pounding in her chest as adrenaline rushed through her body. Her instincts were screaming at her to run, but she didn't know why. Around her, both Damon and Caroline were also on high alert, their vampire senses kicking up a notch.

A beat.

Wind.

Leaves rustling.

Then-

"Hello, brother."

Elena stifled a gasp as Klaus leapt to the ground, landing soundlessly in front of Elijah. It didn't escape her notice that Damon immediately took two steps to the right so that he was standing in front of her, already in a protective stance.

"Klaus," Elijah responded calmly, "I was wondering when you would be gracing us with your presence. Especially after Elena informed me that you seemed to already be aware that we were in the area."

"And how _was _that, by the way?" Damon inquired casually, "You just happened to know we were coming?"

Klaus' gaze swept across the clearing, possibly checking to see if they had brought anyone else with them. When he was satisfied, he smirked, "Once I realized that you people would stop at nothing to get Stefan back, I employed the use of a _very _helpful witch—she creates a barrier around the perimeter of wherever I go. If someone with Salvatore blood crosses the barrier, I'll know about it."

"Salvatore blood?" Damon gritted his teeth, "Because you knew that _I_ would find my brother no matter what."

Klaus raised an eyebrow, "And clearly I was correct in my assumptions." He peered over Damon's shoulder to look at Elena, "And how you managed to stay human after all this, I will never understand."

"That's right," Elena said coldly, thinking of the sacrifice John had done for her. "_You _will never understand." She crossed her arms, "But you already knew I was alive."

"I did?"

"You saw me in the Salvatore boarding house yesterday morning."

"I believe you are mistaken, Elena," Klaus said lazily, "I have not returned to Mystic Falls since Stefan and I left two weeks ago."

Bonnie quickly pushed her way to the front of the group, her hands on her hips. "Do you think we're stupid? _You _left a dead body on my doorstep yesterday—of course you were in Mystic Falls!"

"Looks can be deceiving," was all he said, glancing upwards as the sky seemed to get slightly darker. Then Klaus suddenly grinned and spread his arms wide in invitation, "Well, get on with it. Kill me." When everyone looked incredulous, he shrugged easily, "That _is _why you have travelled all this way, is it not?"

Elena exchanged a look with Damon. Although night had fallen, there was still about three hours left until midnight. If they acted now, then there was no hope. The only solution was to somehow keep Klaus talking.

Caroline scoffed, "Cocky, much?"

"Very much," Klaus responded smoothly, but he raised an eyebrow at her questioningly.

"You think we travelled all the way out here just to kill an overconfident Original with a God Complex_?_" she went on disdainfully, "_Please_. We're here for Stefan. Where is he?"

Elena gasped, and even Elijah's expression flickered with shock. Klaus, on the other hand, laughed out loud. "You're a feisty one," he said appreciatively, "I can see now why Stefan didn't want you dead."

"Excuse me?"

"Let's walk," Klaus said abruptly, "I will take you to the place Stefan and I have been staying during our time in Pennsylvania." When no one moved, Klaus rolled his eyes. "If I wanted to kill you, then you'd all be dead by now. Come along."

.

And so they kept walking. The veil of darkness in the woods felt impenetrable, made all the more oppressive by the lack of moonlight. Elena could barely see two feet in front of her, and she stumbled almost immediately.

As she paused to reorient herself, she felt Damon's arm curve around her waist. "I've got you, don't worry," he murmured in her ear, and she flashed a smile up at him gratefully. She glanced at Klaus, who was leading the way in front of them, but she didn't dare voice her concerns. Damon seemed to know what she was thinking, however, and he squeezed her hand reassuringly before guiding her through the blackness.

"You're lucky, you know," Klaus called over his shoulder, "Stefan and I were planning on leaving town tonight—you see, when the humans start noticing the missing people, we figure it's time to move on. But when I heard you had all arrived...well, I decided to postpone our departure for just _one _night."

"Oh yes," Caroline said in a serious voice, "Very lucky."

Klaus glanced at her, but didn't respond. "Ah," he said instead, "Here we are." He pointed to a large house, set nearly at the edge of the woods. The outside was seedy in appearance, which didn't surprise Elena at all. "No invitation necessary," he said with a grin, insinuating that he had already killed the previous owner.

The furniture was sparse, and the only light came from the fireplace burning in what Elena assumed was the living room. She walked over to the sofa, her gaze lingering on the coffee table littered with empty bottles of alcohol. "Where's Stefan?"

"It's a bit early for him to be back from his...activities," Klaus said with a twisted smile. "May I offer you a drink?"

"What you can _offer _us," Bonnie said sharply, "Is an explanation." When Klaus tilted his head in bemusement, she snapped, "The dead body?"

"Oh yes," Klaus poured himself a glass of bourbon, before offering the bottle to Damon. "For many years, I have been searching for information on my family. As I'm sure Elijah has told you, _his _father was responsible for killing my true biological family. All because my mother had an affair..." He trailed off before continuing, "Several days ago, one of my sources informed me of a book—one that would tell me more about my parents, and about my werewolf side."

Everyone carefully avoided looking at each other.

"I ordered my witch to do a locator spell on the owner of the book, and she was able to teleport him here. However, once I tried to speak to him, it became clear that he had been compelled not to reveal any information about the contents of the book." Klaus put down his drink, a vague expression crossing his face. "I put two and two together, and realized that Elijah must have gotten to him first."

"What..." Elena swallowed, "What did you do with him?"

"Well," Klaus turned to look at Bonnie, "That same night, you did your little spell to return Elijah to the world of the living. So, I decided to leave you a little warning." He shrugged, "I turned into a wolf and killed the man. After Stefan and I had drained his blood, I made the witch teleport him to your doorstep along with that note." He paused and then added, "As for the reflection in the mirror, it was a mere parlor trick. I thought it might stop you from searching for us...clearly I was mistaken."

"Wait a second, you turned into a wolf?" Caroline demanded, "But it wasn't—"

"I can turn whenever I want," Klaus interrupted, a glint in his eye. "Didn't my brother inform you?"

"No," Elena said as she pointedly stared at Elijah, "He did not."

At the moment, Klaus turned his head, apparently listening to something. "If you'll excuse me," he said, and then he blurred out the door.

Damon snarled and instantly had his hands wrapped around Elijah's throat. "Tell me why I shouldn't kill you right now," he hissed, "You _knew _Klaus could turn whenever he wanted? Didn't you think that would be, oh I don't know, worth _mentioning?_"

Elijah stood up, his expression impassive. "You would not have taken the risk, if you had known."

With an enraged growl, Damon vamped out. He grabbed the lapels of Elijah's coat and reached into the pocket swiftly to retrieve the dagger. Bonnie's eyes widened, "Y-you can't—"

"No, Damon, stop!" Elena rushed forward to position herself between the two vampires. Her heart thudded in her chest when she caught sight of Damon's expression. He looked furious beyond belief, and she wasn't sure that he even registered that she was standing there. "We _need _him," she tried to remind Damon, her hands moving to grasp his shoulders as she forced him to look at her. "Without Elijah, we don't have a chance."

She gave a startled gasp as Damon roughly pushed her off before grabbing her arm in an unbreakable grip. He hauled her closer and whispered harshly, "What will you do if Klaus decides to turn? You'll be completely unprotected!"

"H-he won't," Elena whispered back desperately, "Klaus has a flair for the dramatic—he'll try to put on a show before anything happens! It's the only reason why he hasn't tried to kill any of us yet...he _wants _us to see Stefan!"

"Yes, and that concerns me even more," Damon growled, and then he hunched over slightly so he could meet her gaze. "Elena, listen to me. I want you and Caroline to go back to the car, and I want you to get out of here. Do you understand?"

"You've got to be kidding—"

"I can't protect you!" Damon said, rage making his voice acidic. "And I can't have anything happen to you," he gave her shoulders a little shake before lowering his voice even further, "You may be okay with playing games with your life, but I'm not."

Elena squeaked in protest as he began pulling her across the room, with her feet dragging against the floor. "I'm not leaving you!" she hissed angrily, her fingernails digging into the arm that was restraining her. "Damon!"

He gave no indication that he even felt any pain, and she nearly stomped her foot in frustration. "You can't _make _me leave! I refuse to leave you and Bonnie out here alone with Klaus—are you _insane_?"

"Are you?" he returned furiously. He turned to look at everyone else in the room, his gaze focusing on Caroline. "Come on. You're both leaving. _Now._"

He briefly let go of Elena's arm so that he could open the door, and she used that opportunity to pull away from him. She took several hurried steps backwards, gasping when Damon blurred to stand in front of her. His arms spread out on either side of her, trapping her against the wall, and he leaned forward, leaving only inches between them. Elena swallowed as she looked up at him, a mixture of emotions sending her pulse racing. "Damon..."

"You see," a voice said from behind them, "Elena has been perfectly taken care of while you've been gone..."

Damon whirled around, and Elena stared in horror at the person framing the doorway.

Stefan.


	20. The Fallen

**A/N: **wow I didn't realize so many people were eager for Stefan's return! as always, thanks for the wonderful reviews—and get ready for an intense chapter ;)

* * *

><p><em>All I did was love you, now I hate the nightmare you've become<em>  
><em>I can't let you fool me, I won't need you again<em>  
><em>I watched you let yourself die,<br>__And now it's too late to save you this time.  
><strong>-Bury Me Alive <strong>_

* * *

><p>Elena felt something cold and metallic pressed into the palm of her hand, and she realized that Damon had given her the dagger while blocking Klaus' view of her. She quickly hid it in her back pocket before hesitantly stepping forward. "Stefan?"<p>

She couldn't see much more than his silhouette, and his face was blanketed in shadows. Still, somehow, she could tell he was different.

"I told you they were here," Klaus said into the silence, turning to look at the youngest Salvatore brother. "Go ahead. Let them see you."

It was then that Stefan finally stepped over the threshold, leaving the darkness behind him in favor of the flickering firelight.

Elena gasped, and behind her she could hear Caroline's sharp intake of breath.

Stefan was drenched in blood—everything except his face, which looked like it had been hastily wiped off. Residual stains of ruby red coated the underside of his jaw, and his eyes held a haunted darkness. His gaze lingered over Elena and Damon, and she found herself fighting the urge to step backwards from the contempt in his expression. "Why are you here?"

Elena's mouth dropped open at the question, but it was Caroline who answered defensively, "What do you mean _why _are we here? We're here for you!" When Stefan merely gazed at her, she sputtered in indignation. "Stefan, it's _us_! Your friends—you _do _remember us?"

He didn't respond.

"A-are you hurt?" Elena asked tentatively. She took a step towards him, but faltered when he turned to look at her. "The blood..."

"Is not mine," Stefan finished coldly. He then turned to Damon and placed a hand on his shoulder, gripping it tightly. "It's good to see you alive...and also taking care of Elena in my absence. I knew I could count on you."

"Stefan," Elena said again, trying to quell the fear in her voice. "W-we've been looking for you all this time...I've missed you." She moved forward to embrace him, but he instantly stepped out of her reach. She stopped in surprise, her eyes widening at his reaction. "What's wrong?"

"You shouldn't have come," Stefan said, some emotion finally creeping into his voice, "I didn't ask for a search party."

"Well, too bad," Damon snapped, "Did you really think we'd let you go all martyr on us? We're here to save your ass, so I suggest you stop acting like an ungrateful little—" He broke off as Stefan's arm suddenly shot out and the two brothers slammed into the wall.

"You must not have heard me correctly," Stefan hissed, "I don't _want _you here." He squeezed a hand around Damon's throat for a moment longer, clearly taking some pleasure in the shift of power. "Leave. _Now_."

"I'm afraid we can't do that," Elijah spoke up, "See, I don't think you quite understand why we're here."

Klaus leaned towards Stefan, "They seem to be under the delusion that they'll be able to pull of an epic rescue mission involving my death...rather ridiculous, don't you think? Especially considering that I can't be killed..."

Elena glanced down at her watch. Thirty more minutes until midnight.

"You sure about that?" Bonnie challenged, "Because if you were, then why would you be looking for the book?"

His expression flickered, the amusement abruptly washing off his face. "Stefan, why don't you show your little friends into the basement?"

"You guys have a dungeon down there or something?" Caroline scowled, crossing her arms. "We're not going down there."

Klaus blurred across the room in the blink of an eye to stand in front of her. "That," he snarled at her, "Was not up for discussion."

Then he grabbed both of her arms and easily tossed her halfway across the room.

"Caroline!" Bonnie began to rush forward, but Elijah grabbed her arm with a warning glance. _Not time yet._

Stefan stared down at the blonde vampire that had landed by his feet, but made no effort to help her up. "Klaus, I don't really see the point in them seeing the basement...are you sure that—"

"Take them or I will."

"Fine," Stefan said, watching apathetically as Caroline struggled to her feet, "Let's go."

Elena bit her lip, but Klaus was watching them expectantly. She stiffly followed Stefan out the door with Damon, Caroline, Bonnie, and Elijah on her heels. Within a few seconds, they had reached the back of the house. Stefan walked forward to a small door that was partially obscured by poison ivy, and pulled off the lock. He pushed the door open and ducked under the landing, disappearing into the darkness.

A moment later, he flipped a switch in the basement and a dim light flickered on.

No one expected the scream that shot through the air.

Elena froze, standing on the threshold. Her foot hovered over the doorstep, but she couldn't bring herself to move. There was some rustling behind her and she shivered when she felt Klaus' breath on her ear, "Go on then, love." He gave her a slight push, and she heard Damon hiss warningly.

"_Please, n-no! Not again!_" a girl sobbed, "_Leave me alone_!"

Damon brushed past Elena and walked down the short staircase. "God," she heard him mutter, "Stefan...what is this?"

Klaus gave her another push, less gentle this time. Elena swallowed, clenching her fists together as she slowly followed behind Damon. When she reached the bottom of the staircase, she felt herself grow cold.

"Jesus," Caroline breathed, and she instinctively tried to back out of the room—but Klaus chose that moment to shut the door with a resounding thud. He smirked down at them, his eyes glimmering dangerously.

Bonnie took several steps forward, her gaze darting around the room.

It was worse than before. Much worse.

After all, it was one thing to see destruction through another person's mind—it was another to actually witness it firsthand. "I think...I'm gonna be sick."

Elena only dimly heard the voices in the background. She swayed on her feet, feeling lightheaded. "Stefan," she whispered, but he didn't look at her. He was focused on the brunette girl cowering in the corner of the room. Numerous bite marks covered her throat and arms, with many of the wounds still bleeding.

Klaus suddenly appeared next to Elena, and he leered at her, "Stefan has a certain affinity for brunettes with chocolate brown eyes...I wonder where _that _taste came from..."

Elena's voice shook, "Go to hell."

Her words seemed to snap Stefan out of his trance, and he straightened. Before anyone could react, he had blurred across the room and hauled the girl to her feet. "Run," he told her, his head tilting to the side. When she only whimpered, Stefan shoved her against the wall roughly. His eyes dilated, "I told you _to run_."

The girl looked across the room to the door, and she immediately began running towards it. Her hand scrambled frantically at the lock and she had just kicked the door open when Stefan appeared in front of her, blocking her path.

"No!" Elena shouted. Both Damon and Caroline leapt forward, but it was too late. The girl let out one last scream before Stefan snapped her neck and she fell to the ground in a lifeless heap.

Klaus smiled pleasantly, "I'll just put her with the others, shall I? She has hardly enough blood left in her, anyway." Stefan made no move to stop him as Klaus reached down and carried the body across the room. He tossed the girl onto one of the piles of dead bodies, and she landed with a sickening squelch.

Elena felt bile rise in her throat, but she forced herself to face Stefan. "T-this isn't you," she whispered, gesturing weakly to all the dead bodies littered across the room. "You didn't do this."

Stefan stared down at her, an emotion akin to pity crossing his face. "I did, Elena."

"No," she shook her head desperately, "No, you're better than this! I'm going to help you—"

"Unfortunately," Klaus said, sounding ominous, "You won't get the chance." She turned to look at him in confusion, and he sneered at her. "When your little witch did that spell to get into Stefan's mind, I warned you what would happen if you did something like that again." Elena took a step backwards, even as he moved towards her. "I warned you that it would result in your death."

"Elena, RUN!" Damon shouted, speeding forward to fight off Klaus. Elijah leapt after him, and the three vampires went crashing into the foundation. Caroline bared her fangs and suddenly sped at Stefan. The two of them tumbled down the stairs, and hit the opposite wall.

"Come on!" Bonnie grabbed Elena's arm and the two of them ran out the door, their feet pounding against the forest ground. Elena could hear screaming from behind her, but Bonnie didn't even falter. "We have to keep running," she gasped at Elena, "There's still twenty minutes left until midnight—" she stopped abruptly as a figure appeared in their path, his eyes glinting. "K-Klaus..."

He paced casually in front of them, barely blinking when Damon and Elijah arrived on the scene a mere second later. "You surprise me, Elena," he mused, "Even after seeing what Stefan has become, you still think he can be saved?" He turned to Damon, "And _you_, after what your brother did to your little girlfriend..."

"What girlfriend?" Damon spat, but then realization dawned in his eyes, "Andie?"

"When we left Mystic Falls, I told Stefan that I wanted to leave behind a little warning...to discourage your little band of misfits from searching for us." Klaus shrugged, "I suggested killing Caroline would leave behind a strong message—after all, you _had _risked your life to save her before...But then Stefan told me that Caroline's death wouldn't leave as much as an impact as the death of your girlfriend..."

Damon gritted his teeth, "I don't believe you. He wouldn't do that."

"Believe it, brother," Stefan said, suddenly appearing next to Klaus. "Besides, you should be thanking me...weren't you the one that always said that Andie was just a _distraction_?" He strolled forward, looking for all the world as though they were discussing something mundane. "And with me gone, and Andie out of the way...I guess you could _finally _have Elena, isn't that right?"

"Stefan, stop it," Elena breathed out, catching sight of Damon's expression. "It's not like that..."

"You know, don't you find it a _little _bit pathetic," Stefan went on thoughtfully, "That I had to be _gone_, for you to even have a chance with Elena?" Damon looked mutinous. "Always second best, aren't you?"

"Stop it!" Elena shrieked, but Damon snarled and rushed at Stefan in rage. The two bodies went flying into the air and out of sight into the trees behind them.

"Wait—where's Caroline?" Bonnie asked wildly, "What did Stefan do to her?"

Elena looked back in the direction of the house, but they could no longer see it. What they could see, however, was the wisp of smoke rising in the air. "My god, Klaus set the house on fire!"

Elijah spared Klaus one look of fury before speeding away to save Caroline.

This left Bonnie and Elena alone with Klaus.

"Not to worry, love," Klaus said calmly as he began walking towards them. "When I'm done killing all of you, I'll go back to Mystic Falls for Katerina and your brother. We wouldn't want them to be lonely without you, would we?"

"I'd like to see you try," Bonnie hissed, raising her head and focusing her Power onto Klaus. He paused momentarily at the faint buzzing in the back of his mind, but quickly shook it off. He instantly sped forward, wrapping his hands around Bonnie's throat and tossing her aside like a rag doll.

"Bonnie!" Elena cried out as her friend went sprawling across the woods, and lay unmoving.

"As for _you_," Klaus gripped Elena's wrist before slamming her against the nearest tree. "You've become far more trouble than you're worth, my dear girl," he murmured, nuzzling into her throat. She stiffened when she felt his fangs graze her flesh, and he pulled back to smirk at her. Then he lowered his head and brushed his lips against hers, "Goodbye, Elena."

He made a sudden movement, and Elena screamed.

The woods went silent as she stared down in shock at the knife sticking out of her stomach. Blood pooled at her feet, and Klaus stared at her coldly before viciously ripping the knife out.

She fell to the ground, gasping in pain. Faintly, she could hear Damon yelling something. Klaus moved away to fend off Damon's attack, not sparing Elena a second glance. She saw Bonnie struggle to her feet, her eyes wide with horror. "The spell," Elena managed to say, "Seven minutes."

Bonnie hesitated, but then nodded. She raised both her hands to the skies, and began speaking in an ancient tongue. "_Per vox donatus ut mihi , ego dico super novus luna!" _Immediately, the wind seemed to collect at her fingertips before swirling around in a circle above their heads.

Klaus had to raise his voice to be heard over the raging wind, "You don't have the power!"

Bonnie ignored him.

"_Redintegro pondera inter bonus quod malum, inter lux lucis quod atrum!" _

At that moment, Elijah appeared back in their midst. His clothes were slightly singed, but he was carrying Caroline in his arms. He set the vampire down next to Elena, looking at her in shock. "What happened?"

"Klaus," Elena hissed in pain as Elijah touched her wound. "Doesn't matter," she bit out, "It's almost midnight." With extreme difficulty, she pulled the dagger out of her back pocket and handed it to Elijah. "Kill him."

"_I__uguolo vir quisnam addo obscurum," _Bonnie intoned, and a ring of fire appeared around Klaus. He stood still as he watched Elijah approach him, the dagger held out in his hand.

"You know the dagger won't kill me," Klaus growled at his brother, "The silver will only serve to aid my werewolf side!"

"Not today, brother," Elijah's voice turned mocking, "Not on the night of new moon." As he spoke, the ring of fire parted for him. He began circling Klaus, and the circle closed behind him. "You really should have tried a _little _harder to get your hands on that book..."

Klaus paused, his jaw clenching. "Using the dagger will kill you as well, or have you forgotten?"

"The witches protect him," Bonnie called, answering Klaus' question. "It will not kill him."

Elena could feel herself losing consciousness as she stared at the scene in front of her. As her eyes began to close, someone roughly shook her arm. "Elena, stay with me," a voice ordered, and she drowsily looked over to see Damon kneeling beside her. His jacket was ripped, and bloody scratches lined his face. "Look at me," he commanded, tilting her chin up. "I need you to drink from me, do you understand?"

"Hmm?" she murmured, gazing at him. "You're hurt..."

"You've lost a lot of blood," Damon murmured worriedly, biting into his wrist and forcing it to her lips. "_Please." _

Elena looked at the desperate expression on his face and then obediently sucked at his wrist, feeling the warm liquid flow down her throat. As she became more alert, she looked up to see Stefan staring at them from across the clearing.

And then, quite suddenly, he was standing right in front of her. "Not the time, Stefan," Damon warned, "She needs blood..."

Stefan didn't appear to be listening. He slowly knelt down beside them, and stuck a finger out towards the pool of blood at her feet before bringing it back to his lips. His nostrils flared at the taste, and Elena scrambled backwards in alarm when his eyes darkened.

Damon didn't even have time to react before a force sent Stefan flying backwards. He looked up in surprise to see Caroline standing on her feet, her hands on her hips. The storm howled around them, and her hair flew wildly behind her as she blurred to where Stefan was lying.

"Stefan, listen to me!" Caroline shouted at him, wincing as he leapt to his feet and threw her backwards into a tree. "This isn't you! You're a good person—"

"News flash, Caroline," Stefan hissed at her, his hands finding her shoulders and pressing against them relentlessly. She cried out in pain, and he snarled, "I'm not a _person_. I'm a vampire—_This _is what we do!"

"No!" With a burst of strength, she shoved against him and he staggered backwards. "The Stefan I know would never do this! _Any of it!_" Caroline breathed hard as she stared down at him, "The Stefan I know is _my friend_! H-he wouldn't do this!"

He growled and blurred forward, slamming into her again. "I guess you don't know me as well as you thought," he growled darkly, and he abruptly darted forward and sank his fangs into her shoulder.

Caroline screamed, and he let her push him off. She rested her head against the tree, tears beginning to stream down her face. "You're the only guy who's never hurt me," she pleaded, "Even Tyler and Matt did...but I always counted on you to be there for me!"

Stefan hesitated.

She recognized the advantage and plowed forward desperately. "Do you remember when I turned into a vampire? I was scared and alone and I t-thought I was a monster...and _you _said to me—" She sucked in an unnecessary breath, "Y-you said that when I feel the blood rushing, I had to tell myself that I would get through it! That _I _was strong enough!"

His grip on her loosened.

"That no matter how good it feels to give yourself over—you fight it off!"

Stefan stepped back, letting go of her.

"Then you promised me," Caroline whispered, "You promised that you would never let anything happen to me."

Stefan was staring at the ground, but he looked back at her when she spoke. The veins disappeared from his face, and he stumbled backwards. "Caroline..."

_"REFERO PONDERA!" _Bonnie screamed, and lightning streaked across the sky. Blood ran down her face, but her voice never wavered. A sudden burst of light hit her in the chest and she cried out as she fell to her knees.

Elena weakly tried to move towards her friend, but Damon pushed her back down. "You haven't healed yet," he cautioned, brushing strands of hair out of her face. "Stay here."

She glanced down at her wound, which looked significantly better than before. "You saved my life..."

"I can't lose you," Damon whispered to her, and he leaned forward to kiss her lightly. "I love you too much." Before she could respond, he sped over to Bonnie. "What happened?" she heard him shout, "Are you alright?"

Bonnie's hands fisted into the ground, but she nodded at him and gasped out the remaining words to the spell.

Stefan had fallen to his knees as well, his fingers gripping his hair. Caroline knelt to the ground, wrapping her arms around him and pulling him close. "We're gonna get through this, okay?"

He looked lost and desperate.

"You helped me," she said to him firmly, "When I had no one to turn to. Now it's my turn to help you—hey, look at me," she commanded, cupping his face with her hands gently. "You're one of my best friends. This time it's my turn to promise—I won't let anything happen to you, okay? Do you understand?"

Stefan nodded once, burying his head into her shoulder.

"Shh," Caroline soothed, stroking his hair. "It's gonna be alright, I promise."

At that moment, Bonnie breathed, "_Midnight_."

Without hesitating, Elijah struck out with the dagger. Klaus shouted as he fell, his face turning an ashen grey. The ring of fire disappeared, and Bonnie slumped to the ground as she lost consciousness.

.

_-To Be Continued-_

.

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><p><strong>TRIVIA: <strong>what other famous vampire show had a main character go evil and then the best friend saved the day? (the Caroline/Stefan scene was inspired from this show)!


	21. Retribution

**A/N: **so there were probably a ton of possible answers to the trivia question, but the scene that I had in mind was the Willow/Xander moment from Season 6 of Buffy—and many of you even referenced the infamous "yellow crayon" speech! YAY :)

* * *

><p><em>Let the rain wash away<br>All the pain of yesterday  
>I know my kingdom awaits<br>And they've forgiven my mistakes...  
>-<strong>Coming Home <strong>_

* * *

><p>"Mmm, so <em>good<em>," Caroline moaned as she bit into a chocolate croissant. "Seriously," she said to Tyler, "You're, like, a _saint_ for bringing these over."

Tyler grinned as she polished off the pastry before reaching out for another one. He nudged the large plate towards her before shrugging, "It was the least I could do. I'm sorry I wasn't able to be here last night when you guys got back, but my mom..."

Caroline waved away his apology. "Don't worry about it. We got back at like 4 in the morning...my mom would've been freaking out, too." She paused, tilting her head as she listened to sounds from upstairs. "One of them is finally awake," she said to Tyler, referring to the four people who were scattered throughout the many bedrooms of the boarding house. "About time, too."

"So," Tyler lowered his voice, "Damon has been awake all night? Just sitting down there in the basement?"

Caroline nodded, but rolled her eyes. "I don't know what he's worried about. Stefan's been pumped full of vervain; he won't be waking up any time soon—and there's definitely no way he'd be able to get out of the cell even if he did wake up..."

"What I don't get is why you guys are keeping Klaus' body locked up down there, too," Tyler commented idly, "I mean, he's dead, right? Can't you just get rid of him?"

"Elijah wanted to drop Klaus' body to the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean," Caroline explained nonchalantly, "But we didn't have time for pit-stops last night."

"You know," Tyler leaned his elbow on the kitchen table as he studied her with amusement, "You're really something."

She cocked an eyebrow, "Hmm, good something or bad something?"

He grinned at her mischievously, "I haven't decided yet."

Caroline licked the last of the chocolate off her fingers before winking at him, "Good answer." She took a sip from her coffee, and glanced up to see Tyler trying not to laugh. "What's so funny?"

"It's just, ah..." he gestured to her face, "You have a little chocolate on your—"

"Oh, no you don't," she chided, swatting his hands away, "That's like the oldest move in the book!"

"What? No, I'm serious—" Tyler wrestled with her for a few moments as she dissolved into giggles. "Okay," he relented with a grin, raising both hands in surrender. "No tricks, I swear."

Caroline squinted at him suspiciously, "If you say so."

"Alright, just hold still," he murmured, leaning forward in his chair as he gently rubbed his thumb at the corner of her mouth. She looked at him expectantly when he paused, only to draw her breath in sharply when he let his hand drop to her waist as he slid forward so that their faces were inches apart.

"Um," she swallowed, "Is it gone?" Tyler shook his head and then slowly let his tongue sweep her lower lip. She moaned again, this time for a different reason, and her lips instinctively parted as Tyler's mouth closed over hers. She let herself get lost in the kiss, a pleasurable haze filling her mind.

The kitchen door squeaked.

With a gasp, Caroline pulled away from Tyler to look over his shoulder. Elena was standing by the door, looking sheepish. "Sorry," she stammered, her face flushing. "I didn't...I just woke up, and I was looking for—"

"It's no problem," Tyler gave her a friendly smile, gesturing for her to join them. "Caroline's been telling me about the hell you guys threw down last night. I'm glad you're okay."

"Thanks," she returned the smile as she sat down with them. "So, where's everyone else? I don't really remember much from last night, to tell you the truth."

"Yeah, that would be because you passed out," Caroline informed her, "Right after Bonnie stabbed Klaus. I think it must've been from your wound? Anyway, Bonnie was already unconscious, and then Damon shot Stefan up with a ton of vervain so he passed out, too. Me and Elijah went back to get the cars and then we all drove back here. Ric and Jeremy were waiting for us when we got back and they helped carry all of you guys in."

"Everyone's here?" Elena frowned, "I didn't see anyone when I woke up."

Caroline shrugged, "Stefan and Klaus are in separate cells down in the basement; Jeremy, Bonnie, and Alaric are all sleeping somewhere upstairs; Elijah and Katherine left earlier this morning to get animal blood since Stefan won't be hunting any time soon...um, and Damon has been down in the basement all night."

"All night?" Elena repeated worriedly, "Is he okay?"

"I tried to give him some blood when I woke up this morning," Caroline said in a quiet voice, "He wouldn't drink it, though. He said he didn't want Stefan to be able to smell the human blood."

"Oh," Elena took a deep breath as she stood up, "I should probably go see him. Let me know when the others are up?"

"Sure," Caroline agreed, watching as her friend disappeared back through the door. "Be careful."

.

Elena tentatively made her way down the stairs into the basement. She walked past the large freezer and continued down the darker passageway, her eyes taking a moment to adjust to the dim lighting. She walked all the way to the end of the passage before she saw Damon sitting on the ground, across from what was presumably Stefan's cell.

She peered through the bars on the door, her gaze landing on Stefan's unconscious form. He had been cleaned up, and now he looked almost back to normal. Except, of course, that he wasn't.

"You're awake," Damon remarked into the silence, "How are you feeling?"

"Better," Elena responded quietly, her fingers tracing her invisible wound, "Thanks to you."

"It was nothing," Damon said, and it was then that she noticed that he was slurring his words. "It's what I do, you know. Save the day. White knight in shining armor and all that."

Elena crossed her arms as she turned back around to look into the cell again. "What happens now? Are we just going to keep injecting him with vervain? Keep him as far away from human blood as possible?"

"That's the general idea."

She studied Damon's expression, and then she slid to the ground next to him. "All those things that Stefan said to you last night," Elena hesitated, "He didn't mean them. You know that, right?"

"Sure," Damon replied with a self deprecating grin, "He didn't mean them because he was on human blood and he wasn't himself." Then he shrugged, "That doesn't mean that he didn't speak the truth."

"The truth? No, it's not like that," Elena said gently, "Don't take his words to heart." When he refused to look at her, she shifted so that she was directly in front of him and he was forced to meet her gaze. "You're not second best, Damon," she said firmly, "Don't let anyone, whether it be Katherine or Stefan, tell you otherwise."

He groaned, "Don't you ever get tired of lying to yourself?" Damon pushed her away and drunkenly staggered to his feet. "Stefan was right...he was gone, and Andie was gone, and that's the only reason that you and I—"

"Don't say that," Elena snapped, getting to her feet as well. "You've had a lot to drink, you're not thinking clearly." He tried to sidestep her, but she planted herself in his path and wrapped her arms around him tightly. To her surprise, he didn't pull away from her embrace. "We have something," she whispered, "You know we do."

He stiffened in her arms, and she slowly stepped back so she could see his face. His gaze was searching her expression, "I thought you didn't want Stefan to know about our...connection. Isn't that what you said?"

Elena smiled faintly, "Well, it must be pretty obvious because Stefan seemed to pick up on it, anyway." She reached out for his hands and held them in her own, "We did what we set out to do. We got Stefan back. Klaus is dead. Everything is going to be okay."

Caroline screamed.

"Rule number one," Damon muttered under his breath as they both rushed upstairs, "_Never_ say that 'everything will be okay'. You're practically _asking _for trouble..."

.

There was no one in the living room, but a great deal of shouting was coming from the second floor. Elena reached the landing in record time, frantically looking around at the small group of people standing there. "What is it? What happened?"

Jeremy was leaning against the wall, looking shaken. Both Tyler and Alaric were carrying heavy towels, and Caroline and Bonnie looked stunned. Damon's gaze darted around the hallway, catching sight of the charred carpet. "Was there a fire?" he demanded, "What's going on?"

"I j-just woke up and walked out of my room," Jeremy managed to say, motioning to the door behind him. "And everything in front of me burst into flames." He swallowed, "I thought they were kidding."

"_They_?" Elena frowned in confusion, "What are you talking about?"

Her brother sighed, looking defeated. "Okay, don't be mad...but I might not have been entirely honest when I told you guys that I haven't seen Anna and Vicki since the night I was brought back to life."

Bonnie's eyes widened, "You've spoken to them? They're still here?"

"Well, they couldn't enter the house because you put that spell to keep out spirits," Jeremy hastened to explain, "So I guess they decided to speak to me through my dreams instead. Um, see, they were brought from the other side to bring me back to the world of the dead...so, that's what they've been trying to do."

Elena narrowed her eyes, "You mean they tried to set you on fire?"

Jeremy shifted uncomfortably, "Actually, they've done a couple things." He counted on his fingers, "They caused the car crash, you know the one where we hit Andie? Oh, and when we were searching the burial grounds for Bonnie and Elijah, they sent that flying dagger into the house. And yeah, the fire this morning..."

"Wait a second," Tyler interrupted, "They've actually been trying to kill you this whole time? But—"

"When they spoke to me in my dreams, they said that they didn't _want _to kill me," Jeremy answered quickly, "It just had to look like they were trying to cause non-supernatural scenarios, because of the ring and everything."

"But you're saying that what happened this morning was different from the other times?" Bonnie asked shrewdly, "How?"

"Oh yeah," Jeremy hesitated, "I was having another dream. They said that the _other side _wasn't happy that they were taking so long to finish the job...and also, the balance of nature was getting more and more skewed because the witches were taking matters into their own hands." He glanced up at Bonnie, "Because the witches brought me back, and then they brought Elijah back..."

"Do they know that Klaus is dead?" Alaric asked, speaking for the first time. "Shouldn't that balance the scale a bit?"

"Anna and Vicki said that Klaus being staked doesn't count as being truly dead," Jeremy muttered, "Because obviously anyone could pull the dagger out at any time, if they wanted to."

"Well, who would want to do that?" Caroline retorted, "Tell them that Klaus' body will be at the bottom of the ocean and then no one will be able to find him, let alone pull the dagger out."

"I think I'm missing something here," Elena said slowly, "What exactly do they want from us?"

Jeremy closed his eyes as he recited, "Three lives must be sent to the other side. Until the payment is made, any power the witches bring forth may be forever reversed."

"Does that mean all your spells will be reversed?" Tyler asked Bonnie, looking confused. "Or is it just the ones where you used the Power from the witches?"

"They want three permanent deaths?" Alaric frowned, "But...who?"

Damon paced back and forth, repeating the demands in his head. If any spell that used the witches' Power was supposed to be reversed, then wouldn't Jeremy and Elijah have dropped dead by now? But...no, that would be a supernatural cause and Jeremy was still wearing the ring. And the only way that Elijah could die was if he was stabbed with the dagger, which was currently in Klaus' body, anyway..."

He froze.

"Damon?" Elena was staring at him, "Is something wrong?"

Caroline suddenly looked up at him, and he knew that she had reached the same conclusion. "Klaus," they said in unison before speeding down the two flights of stairs into the basement.

"Stefan's still here," Caroline said in obvious relief, peering through the bars of the cell. "What about..."

She turned around to see Damon standing on the other side of passageway, staring into an empty cell. "Klaus is gone."

* * *

><p><strong>*<strong>_for those of you who were wondering why Klaus "died" so quickly last chapter, it's because I had planned from the beginning to coincide the Jeremy/ghost storyline with Klaus' true death. hope you enjoyed the twist!_

* * *

><p><strong>KEY:<br>**Ghosts explanation = chapter 2  
>Andie's death + car crash = chapter 4<br>Flying dagger + burial ground = chapter 13


	22. Only You

**A/N:** ahh sorry that people were confused by the ending of last chapter! okay so basically, the witches keep using their Power to bring people back from the dead and the whole balance of nature is screwed up..In order to fix it, our Scooby gang has to send three people to the "other side" (i.e. permanent death) in retribution for bringing back Jeremy and Elijah (the third person is Klaus, who was brought back to life as punishment to the witches for using their Power _again _to meddle with the forces of life and death). The three people will have to be sent back through Anna and Vicki—that's the only way they'll stop haunting Jeremy. Whew! Haha okay back to the story :)

* * *

><p>Stefan opened his eyes slowly, fighting the intense thirst in the back of his throat. His nerves were screaming with the aftereffects of vervain, his head was pounding from lack of blood, and he felt sickening lurches in the pit of his stomach every time another flash of memory came back to him.<p>

"How are you feeling?"

He started in surprise, making a sudden movement to leap to his feet. However, the chains around his wrists and ankles restrained him and he let out a roar of frustration.

"Hey, hey, it's only me," the voice said soothingly, and Stefan stilled when he recognized Caroline. She was sitting in the corner of his cell, holding a mug tightly in her hands.

He sniffed at it hopefully, but almost immediately recoiled from it. _That wasn't what he wanted…it wasn't what he was craving…_He groaned again, hissing with pain as he shifted into a sitting position. "Get that out of here," he ordered in a low voice, his jaw clenching. "I don't want that."

Caroline bit her lip, but didn't move. "I know it's not what you want," she said, "But Elijah and Katherine went to a lot of trouble to get you bags of animal blood from a butcher shop. Did you know that there isn't one within a 50 mile radius of Mystic Falls?" She paused for his response, but rambled on when he didn't say anything. "Well, anyway, they left at like the crack of dawn this morning and they just got back an hour ago—by the way, have you noticed that Elijah always seems to pick Katherine to go places with him? It seems kinda strange to me, because I thought he hated her. Doesn't he?"

Stefan stared at her blankly.

"I'm talking too much," she surmised, and smiled at him nervously. "Sorry."

He coughed, his voice rough from lack of use. "Why are you here?"

"Because I made a promise to you, and I intend to keep it."

More flashes sped through Stefan's mind, and he winced at the memories. "Do the others know you're down here?"

She hesitated, "I told them that I was bringing you blood. Why?"

"Oh, so all of you haven't been ordered to stay away from me?" Stefan scoffed, "Right..."

"Only the humans," Caroline answered promptly, and then she switched to a gentler tone. "Just until you're in control again. It's for the best."

As soon as she mentioned the word _control_, the gnawing hunger in his throat intensified to an almost painful degree and he snarled at Caroline instinctively. She flinched, but held her ground as he let out another growl. "Blood," he spat at her, "I need blood!"

She raised herself so that she was crouching closer to him, but was still out of his reach. "This is all the blood you're getting," she informed him, gesturing to the mug in her hands. "So, drink it."

He instantly backed away from her, huddling into a corner of the cell. "You don't get it, do you? I DON'T WANT THAT!" He let his hands drop from his face as a sudden thought occurred to him. "Elena," he said wildly, "I need to see her!"

"No," Caroline said sternly, "You won't be seeing her, or any other humans for that matter—"

"NO!" Stefan scrambled desperately towards Caroline, the chains clinking behind him loudly. "Please—I need to see Elena, I need to explain to her..."

"I'm sorry," she swallowed, moving out of his reach again. "I really am. But you can't see her."

Stefan froze, his eyes widening. "D-did I hurt her? I didn't, did I?"

"Not physically," Caroline answered, standing up. She crossed her arms, "How much do you remember of these past two weeks?"

"Just...flashes," he shook his head, "It was all a blur." He looked up at her, "Does she forgive me?" When Caroline didn't answer, his expression hardened. "Is she with Damon now?"

Caroline blurred across the cell so that she was in Stefan's face, and he jerked back, startled. "Listen to me," she hissed, "Elena is my friend, and so are you, and so is Damon. I don't know what's going on between them, or between you...all I know is that they were both _devastated _when Klaus took you. These past two weeks? They've done nothing but try to find a way to get you back—and _no_, I don't care if you wanted to come back or not; you're here now, and you better start acting a little freakin' grateful about it!"

With that, she turned on her heel and was about to storm out when Stefan spoke. "You're right," he said, looking slightly abashed. "I'm sorry. I just...the cravings...it's unbearable, Care."

It was the use of the nickname that calmed her down, more than anything else. "I'm sorry, too," she sighed, moving so that she was sitting next to him. He looked surprised at her boldness, but chose not to comment on it. "I can't even, like, imagine what you must be going through. But you have to understand what _we _were going through, too, when you were gone. And now you're back...and all we want you to do is get better. Okay?"

He nodded, but still seemed apprehensive as she moved the mug to his lips. She tipped the contents slightly, and he shuddered as the animal blood slid down his throat. "It's not—I don't want—"

"Shh, I know," Caroline whispered, "But you have to."

Stefan took another sip, but it did nothing to cure the ache in his throat. His fists clenched, and he threw his head back against the stone wall. Every ounce of his skin felt like it was burning, and he let out a feral snarl before suddenly lunging at Caroline. She jumped back, the mug falling out of her hands and shattering onto the floor. "Shit," she backed away, looking unnerved. "Stefan?"

"So, I see things are going well down here," a voice drawled. Caroline spun around to see Katherine standing outside the cell, her eyebrow raised challengingly. "I knew you wouldn't listen to Damon."

Stefan was breathing hard, but he had calmed himself down enough to hear the conversation. "What are you talking about?"

"Damon told Caroline to inject you with vervain so you wouldn't wake up, and then funnel the animal blood down your throat. When she didn't come back right away, I figured that she had waited for you to wake up instead."

"Keeping him in a constant state of unconsciousness isn't good for him," Caroline shot back, "He has to learn how to control the thirst, not ignore it."

"I agree completely," Katherine said, much to Caroline's surprise. "Which is why I won't tell Damon what you were up to." She paused to survey the shards of the mug on the ground, "Now, why don't you be a good little vampire and go get us a new cup of blood?"

"Fine," Caroline muttered, sending a warning look at Stefan before disappearing down the passageway.

There was a brief silence.

"What?" Stefan said aggressively to Katherine, "What do you want?"

She left the cell door open behind her as she casually strolled back and forth, studying Stefan. "Hate me all you want," she said to him, "But when it comes down to it, it'll be _me _that's standing by your side. Not Elena."

"Not this again," he groaned audibly, "Katherine, save it. I'm not interested in whatever game you're playing."

"No game," she replied instantly, "Why do you think I stayed in Mystic Falls, Stefan? I stayed for _you_."

"You stayed because you wanted protection from Klaus," he corrected with a growl. "You knew he was planning on killing you; there was nowhere for you to go."

Katherine pursed her lips, "I stayed to help. I _wanted _to help you get better." When he looked disbelieving, she sighed dramatically. "What I've always wanted was the Stefan who didn't follow rules...the Stefan that actually embraced who he was, and was proud of it." When he still didn't say anything, she narrowed her eyes. "I never wanted Stefan the Ripper. That's not you, and that's never who I wanted you to be." Her voice dropped to a seductive whisper, "That's not the Stefan that I fell in love with."

Stefan shook his head, turning away from her. "Do you honestly think that anyone around here believes a single word that comes out of your mouth?"

Katherine looked annoyed, and she crossed her arms as she leaned against the doorway. "Who do you think gave Bonnie the idea to do the open-connection spell to get into your mind?" she demanded, "That was _me_."

"So?"

"I told them that Emily Bennett had showed me the spell back in the day, but the truth is that I used the spell to check up on you over these past 145 years. I made friends with witches, and every now and again I would convince them to do the spell on you. When I was satisfied that you were doing okay, I would make you forget that I had ever been in your mind."

Stefan's brow furrowed as he considered her words. "You did that? How?"

Katherine reached into her pocket and dangled an object from her fingers. "Your watch from 1864," she told him, "I stole it from you before I was forced to run. I saw you and Damon lying there, and I wanted a way to remember you by." She paused, "When I heard about this spell, I was glad that I had taken something that belonged to you...then I could check up on you whenever I wanted to."

Stefan's mind was reeling. He recognized the watch; it was definitely his. "You've been doing this spell on me and Damon for all these years?" he asked dubiously.

Katherine gave him a small smile, "Just you, Stefan. It's always been just you."

"Well," a hard voice said from outside the cell, and she turned around to see Damon standing there with Caroline. "If I had a dollar for every time you've screwed me over, Katherine..."

"Damon," Stefan tried to stand up, but couldn't find his bearings. "Please, you have to let me see Elena—"

"Absolutely not," Damon snapped, "You're going be kept as far away from humanity as possible until you've gotten the blood lust under control, got it?" He didn't wait for an answer, and began to turn away. "I just wanted to make sure the bitch wasn't orchestrating your getaway plan, but looks like I underestimated her. As usual." He glanced at Katherine before nodding at his brother, "Drink the animal blood. You need to survive somehow."

"Wait," Stefan called to him desperately, "I r-remember what I said to you last night—I'm sorry. I didn't mean it."

Damon hesitated, lingering outside the cell. "I know," he said finally, but he didn't turn back around. Within the next second, he was speeding up the stairs and he had just swung around the corner to get to the liquor cabinet when Elena suddenly appeared in his path.

"How is he?" she asked anxiously, "Is he drinking the animal blood?"

"I'm sure that his fan club will be able to coerce him into it," Damon muttered under his breath. His gaze fell on a half-empty bottle of whiskey and he grabbed it before he settled himself onto the couch. "Oh by the way, remember how Katherine was acting sketchy when we did the open-connection spell?"

"Yeah," Elena said slowly, sitting down next to him. "Did you find out what she was hiding?"

"Apparently," Damon drew out the word, "Katherine had been using the spell for a whole century and a half to check up on _Stefan_. That's why she knew so much about it."

Elena didn't miss the bitterness in his voice, and she lowered her gaze. "I'm sorry, Damon."

"No need," he said breezily and attempting a grin, "It's pretty much become my life story at this point." He shrugged then and tried to change the subject, "Did you hear from Bonnie yet? How's the séance going?"

"They haven't called yet," Elena answered, referring to Alaric, Jeremy, Bonnie, and Elijah, who had gone to the burial grounds to create a séance with Anna and Vicki. "Um, did Stefan say anything else?"

"He apologized," Damon said after a long moment, "For what he said to me last night."

"See," Elena said encouragingly, "I told you he didn't mean it." He nodded, but she still caught the pain that flashed across his face before he smoothed it into the mask of indifference that he had perfected over the years. She felt a pang in her own chest—she didn't like to see him hurt. She found herself moving closer to him, and her breath hitched as their shoulders brushed against each other, sending sparks of heat through her veins.

Nonetheless, she took a deep breath and continued in a soft voice, "Forget about what Stefan said, and forget about what Katherine did. None of it should matter to you."

Damon scowled into the fireplace, "Then what does matter?"

Elena reached over to take his hand, and stroked her thumb over his fingers lightly. "What matters is everyone else who cares about you, Damon. There's Jeremy, who looks up to you as the cool older brother he never had; Alaric, who probably never had and never will have a best friend quite like you; Caroline, who practically glows when she earns your approval; Stefan, your brother who would do anything to protect you; and me..." She trailed off, looking up to see him gazing at her intensely.

"You," he prodded quietly, his eyes glimmering in the soft firelight. "Elena?"

"And me," she said again, this time with conviction. She raised a hand to his face, "Someone who...cares about you more than I'd like to admit." As soon as she said the words, she felt a sense of lightness wash over her. She smiled tentatively and then, very slowly, leaned forward to close the remaining distance between them.

For one heart-stopping second, he drew back slightly and she thought he would refuse her. But then he muttered her name and pulled her impossibly closer as he brushed his lips once over hers. She didn't know if he meant the kiss to be chaste or not, because she immediately succumbed under his touch, her lips parting to deepen to kiss.

When she pulled back several moments later for air, she rested her forehead against his. The gesture was intimate, and she could tell by the way Damon's irises widened that he was moved by it. "It's like you're a part of me," she murmured, "And there's nothing I can do about it." Then she sat back and shook her head, "And the strangest thing is, I don't _want _to do anything about it. I like that we're connected in this way that I c-can't explain, not even to myself..."

He was studying her expression carefully. After a moment, he flashed her his signature smirk. "You don't even realize it yet."

She frowned at him, "Realize what?"

"Nothing," Damon grinned then and leaned back into the cushions, "One day you'll see."


	23. Run This Town

_**a/n:** thanks for all your amazing reviews! be sure to follow me on twitter (tamilnadu09) for updates/hints on future chapters ;) enjoy! xoxo_

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><p>Tyler swung his sports bag over his shoulder and cautiously made his way down the stairs. When he reached the bottom, he paused and listened carefully; when he was confident that there was no one home, he grabbed his keys off the hook and turned towards the door—<p>

"Where are you going?"

"Mom!" Tyler exclaimed, the keys falling out of his hand and clattering loudly onto the floor. "I didn't realize you were at home…um, why aren't you at work?"

Carol stared at him expressionlessly for a moment before her face smoothly transitioned into one of amusement. "I've been awake since 6 this morning making phone calls and dealing with some paperwork," she said to him before reaching out to ruffle his hair, "The day doesn't start at 11 AM, sleepyhead."

It took all of Tyler's self control to not gape at her in astonishment. Since when did she _ruffle his hair_? "Oh," he said, trying to cover up his surprise, "Well, I was just going to meet up with the guys…" he gestured to his bag, hoping she would take the hint.

Mrs. Lockwood glanced at his bag before frowning, "Who are you meeting?"

"You know," Tyler shrugged casually, "Matt, Jeremy, some of the other guys…"

His mother pursed her lips, not looking convinced. "You wouldn't be sneaking out of the house to meet Caroline Forbes, would you?"

"No," Tyler said, irritation coloring his tone. "I know you're on the outs with her mom, but I really don't see what that has to do with me—"

"Tyler, I'm just trying to protect you," Carol said in an overly sincere voice. "It's just that…I've come to realize that Liz Forbes doesn't have this town's best interests at heart." An unidentifiable look flickered in her eyes before she added coolly, "That family is no good."

Tyler couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Whatever," he said as he snatched his arm out of her grip. "I'll be home for dinner." He didn't wait for her response before brushing past her and slamming the front door behind him.

He stalked angrily to his car and tossed his bag into the backseat, glancing over his shoulder just in time to see the curtains twitch back into place. _Was she kidding_? He shook his head and nearly burned a stretch of rubber as he tore out of the driveway.

.

"Sorry I'm late," Tyler called out as he walked into the boarding house. He nodded to Damon, who was standing near the stairs that led to the basement. "My mom was acting really weird..." He proceeded to explain what had happened. "But there's no way she could be Compelled...I know for a fact she's on vervain."

Damon frowned when he was done, "Have you talked to Caroline this morning?"

"No," Tyler pulled his cell phone out of his pocket, but there weren't any texts. "Why? Where is she?"

"She's with Stefan downstairs," Damon answered, crossing his arms. "But _your _mom called Liz this morning and told her not to bother coming into work because she found a replacement. A new sheriff."

"What?" Tyler groaned, "She actually fired Mrs. Forbes? I had no idea...Do you think that my mom is being controlled somehow? The way she was acting seemed kinda...off." He paused, "Or maybe she felt guilty or something?"

"Or something," Damon muttered under his breath before pointing into the living room. "The others are in there. Go ahead and tell them I'll be over in a few minutes. I just have to talk to Stefan first."

Damon waited till Tyler had disappeared into the adjoining room before blurring down the stairs into the basement. He stood by the freezer, his head cocked as he listened to the faint voices coming from down the passageway.

Caroline strode into the room several moments later, looking slightly downcast. When she saw Damon, however, she forced a smile onto her face. "Guess what?" she asked, a little too brightly to be entirely plausible, "Stefan actually drank all of the animal blood! Every last drop!"

"That's great," Damon responded, his eyes narrowing as he studied her expression. He hopped off the freezer and blurred across the room so he was standing in front of her. "Hey, I'm sorry about your mom. Trust me, we'll do everything we can to get her job back."

Caroline nodded once, the smile slipping off her face for an instant. "Thanks, Damon." Then she moved away from him quickly and headed towards the staircase, "Stefan is expecting you. I'll just be with the others upstairs."

"Barbie," Damon's voice came out a little sharper than he intended, and Caroline froze. She turned around to look at him, her foot pivoting on the third stair. "I..." he cleared his throat, "I guess I never got a chance to thank you for convincing Stefan to come back with us that night."

She shook her head quickly, "I didn't—"

"I might not have been able to hear a whole lot over that storm," Damon interrupted her, holding up a hand to signal her to let him speak. "But I know that whatever you said to him is the reason that he's here...And you've been helping him get through the blood lust and everything," he added in a more serious tone. "I just wanted to tell you that you did good. I'm...proud of you."

Caroline looked nothing short of shocked. "Wow, I...no one has ever really said that to me before," she said, looking flustered. She stepped towards him, but he instantly blurred back to the other side of the room.

"No hugs," he said flatly, and Caroline flashed him a genuine smile.

"Fine," she grinned as she began walking up the stairs. She paused halfway up and leaned over the railing to look at him. "You know, you're not such a bad guy Damon Salvatore." She raised an eyebrow mischievously, "Don't worry, it'll be our little secret; you, me...and Elena."

"Excuse me?"

"People usually think I'm too busy being all self-absorbed to pick up on the little details," she said teasingly, "But the truth is, I see a lot of things that other people don't." Before Damon could respond, she winked and then disappeared.

.

Damon shook his head, composing the expression on his face as he walked down the dark passageway. He stopped outside Stefan's cell, slightly unnerved to see his brother calmly sitting in the corner, waiting for him. "How are you feeling?"

"Honestly?"

"Honestly."

"Like I want to rip someone's throat out."

"And on a scale of 1-10 on _how much_ you want to rip someone's throat out?"

Stefan considered for a second before answering, "Eight."

"Good," Damon responded, "That's progress, at least." Then he got down to business, "So, Caroline has told you about what happened with Klaus?"

"That he escaped, no one knows what he's up to, and the other side wants three sacrifices before Anna and Vicki will be able to return to peace?"

"Glad to see I don't have to rehash the dismal details."

Stefan's expression didn't change, "What do you want from me? I have no idea where Klaus went, either. My best guess is that he met up with the witch he was using."

"Do you know who that was?"

"I never met her, no."

"I figured as much," Damon crossed his arms as he leaned against the wall. "Actually, I came down here to talk about the three sacrifices. Obviously, one of them has to be Klaus...the other two are more tricky."

"And you wanted my opinion on the matter?" Stefan asked incredulously.

"I wanted to know if you and Klaus had succeeded," Damon corrected, "In starting the hybrid race."

Stefan looked caught off guard, "What?"

"Did Klaus create any werewolf-vampire hybrids?" Damon repeated, "Because then we'd have some ideal candidates for who should be sacrificed..."

"Um," Stefan frowned, "I don't remember. Maybe..." He shifted restlessly, "How long have I been down here?"

"Two nights."

"When can I see Elena?"

Damon turned to leave, "When you stop fantasizing about drinking her blood."

.

Elena was waiting for Damon upstairs in the hallway, and she smiled at him tentatively when he emerged from the basement. "How's Stefan doing?"

"Well he hasn't tried to attack anyone lately, so I take that as a good sign," Damon began, but was cut off when Elena darted forward and quickly kissed him once on the lips. He blinked, "What was that for?"

"Caroline told me what you said to her," Elena said to him, looping her arms around his neck. "She was feeling down about what happened with her mom, and what you said to her really helped, Damon. Thank you."

Damon couldn't suppress the grin on his face as he placed his hands on her hips and whirled them around so that her back was to the wall. Her eyes widened surprise, but she tilted her head at him questioningly. "So, what you're saying," he mused, "Is that I get rewarded whenever I do something nice?"

"No," Elena said sternly, but she ruined the effect by pulling him closer. "Or maybe," she mumbled between kisses, "I like that you're being the better man...the one I always knew you could be."

He adopted her tone and murmured against her lips, "Well, maybe you inspire me." He smirked at the blush that covered her cheeks, and reluctantly pulled away from her. "So, Elijah wants to speak to all of us? Any idea what it's about?"

"It's time I told you more about the history behind the doppelganger," Elijah said, appearing in the hallway. He raised an eyebrow at Damon and Elena's close proximity, but otherwise didn't comment. "Katerina and Elena know some of the details, but it's time that you all know the story behind the first Petrova woman."

"Why?" Damon asked impatiently, "Is it relevant? Elena's blood has already been spilled—there's no need for any more of this Petrova nonsense."

"It is relevant," Elijah answered simply, "You will see."

The doorbell rang, and Elena walked over to answer it. Behind her, Damon continued to argue with Elijah, clearly not seeing the point of dredging up long-forgotten history. Elena rolled her eyes at the two of them and pulled open the door.

Her mouth dropped open and she froze, her blood running cold.

"I hate to sound like a bad Western movie," Klaus said, smirking at her suggestively as he watched her eyes graze over his uniform in shock. "But there's a new sheriff in town..." he leaned forward and lowered his voice threateningly, "And he's about to make your life living hell."

He drew back, tipping his head to Elijah and Damon, who had appeared on either side of Elena. "Brother," he said coldly to Elijah, "You've tried to kill me twice now, and—"

"Third time's the charm," Damon decided to say, ignoring Elijah's look of warning.

"We'll see about that," Klaus reached out to stroke Elena's face, his fingers brushing against her cheek. Then he shot her a predatory smile and disappeared.

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><p><em>*some of you totally guessed way back in chapter 16 that Klaus would become the new sheriff, but I hope you enjoyed the twist nonetheless!<em>


	24. Curse of the Doppelganger

**_a/n: _**_i planned this story out to be about 30 chapters long, and so far I think it's on track to remain that length :) _

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><p>And then there were four.<p>

Caroline tapped her fingers anxiously alongside the sofa as she watched Elijah calmly sipping his glass of scotch. Damon and Elena were seated beside her, both looking tense and impatient.

After Klaus had disappeared, there was an instant uproar as both Tyler and Bonnie had stormed out of the boarding house—albeit for different reasons. Tyler had stated angrily that Klaus becoming sheriff was just further proof that someone was controlling his mother, and he was determined to go home and get some answers.

Several arguments later, he only agreed to let Jeremy come along for the ride on account of the supernatural ring on his finger. With some more wheedling, Elijah forced Katherine to go with them for protection, insinuating that she could pretend to be Elena if Mrs. Lockwood seemed suspicious.

Bonnie, on the other hand, insisted that there was no time to waste and that she needed to get to the burial grounds in order to open the gateway between the two worlds and sacrifice Klaus to the _other side_. After refusing to listen to reason that the three sacrifices weren't ready, she had left—though she had acquiesced to Damon's demands that Alaric, at least, go with her.

With everyone else gone, Elijah had ushered them into the living room with the request that he had to tell them something important. Ten minutes later, however, he still hadn't said a word.

"Are you sure we shouldn't be trying to find Klaus?" Elena finally demanded, "He could be up to anything!"

"We will wait till Bonnie has opened the portal," Elijah said evenly, glancing up at her. Then he took a deep breath, "I know you are wondering why I have gathered you here. I just thought that, under the current circumstances, it would prove useful to divulge a particular story from my past."

Damon groaned, "This Petrova stuff, _again_? I told you, we don't—"

"Just hear me out," Elijah interrupted. He paused for a long moment, "Have none of you wondered how I became a vampire?"

"Well _I _wondered," Caroline spoke up when the other two didn't. "But I figured it was like a deep dark secret or something," she shrugged, "Isn't it?"

He smiled in spite of himself. "As you know, my parents were wealthy landowners in Eastern Europe. There were only two other families in the area that were also of high status: one was a family of witches and warlocks, and the other was the human Petrova family."

"The Petrova family was made up of a single father, and his two daughters. Identical twins. Arria and Isidora Petrova." Elijah paused, "I won't bother describing their beauty to you; after all, Elena is their splitting image."

"_Twins_?" Damon broke in, smirking devilishly at Elena, "Kinky."

She rolled her eyes in response, half heartedly smacking his arm. "Was that supposed to be funny?"

"Oh, come on," he winked at her before throwing an arm along the top of the sofa, directly behind her shoulders. "Just think about all the trouble that could have been avoided if there were _twins_."

Elena shook her head, the expression on her face torn between amusement and annoyance. Damon seemed to notice and he grinned, "Lighten up." And since the only other people in the room were Caroline and Elijah, he quickly drew her into his arms and brushed a kiss onto her cheek. "You know you're the one for me, Elena Gilbert."

She flushed, and Elijah cleared his throat pointedly. "As I was saying, Arria and Isidora might have been twins, but their personalities were as different as night and day. Isidora was much like Katherine; bold, sensual, arrogant. On the other hand, Arria was more like Elena; empathic, selfless, strong."

He thought for a moment before adding, "Which is not to say that one sister was better than the other. On the contrary, both women were completely aware of the extent to which they were desired...This, of course, only heightened their charm in the eyes of the men who sought after them."

"Were you one of them?" Caroline blurted out, but Elijah neatly avoided the question.

"Their father wanted his daughters only to marry into a prominent family. A wealthy one. This meant either my family—I had four brothers, including Klaus—or the witch family, which consisted of two warlock brothers, and their sister. She later became a notoriously powerful witch, though we were unaware of their powers at the time."

"And so you all fought over Arria and Isidora?" Damon asked, his arms tightening around Elena as he spoke. "That must have been a bloodbath."

"My brothers fought over them," Elijah corrected, "As did the two warlocks. The friendship ties between our two families became strained as all the men went to increasingly absurd measures to capture the hearts of the Petrova sisters." He took a sip of scotch before continuing. "In the end, Arria and Isidora each fell in love with one of the warlocks. Their father was pleased because he could see how much the two brothers loved his daughters."

Elena had a sudden fleeting thought: _the Petrova sisters had chosen two brothers without fighting over them. _"I'm guessing Klaus and your brothers didn't give up without a fight," she surmised, narrowing her eyes. "What happened?"

"On the wedding day of the Petrova sisters, my other three brothers hired local bandits to kill the two warlocks. I told you we were wealthy—they paid the bandits a large price to get the job done and keep quiet on who had ordered the hit."

"That's awful," Caroline breathed, exchanging an appalled look with Elena. "Did they succeed?"

Elijah looked grim. "During the ceremony, a dagger pierced the heart of the warlock that Isidora was set to marry. Terrified, she turned around to see her sister move protectively in front of her own husband. See, Arria was smart—she had already figured out that someone meant to kill _both _men."

He sighed then, a tinge of sadness crossing his face. "And although Isidora might have been known as the coldhearted sister who cared only for herself, she immediately leapt in front of Arria, choosing to protect her sister instead of herself."

Elena looked shocked, "Isidora was killed?"

"Yes. Later, it was revealed that Arria had been pregnant. It is likely that Isidora was the only one to know of this indiscretion, and so she wanted to save both her sister as well as the unborn baby."

Both Caroline and Elena looked horrified, and even Damon looked uneasy with the direction of the tale. He cleared his throat, "How did the witches react?"

"They were furious at the deaths of their son and Isidora, and eventually used their powers to find out about my family's involvement in the matter. Enraged, they cursed us to live an eternity: feeding off lifeforce but never being able to procreate, always living but never truly alive."

"You becoming a vampire was a curse?" Caroline frowned, "I don't get it...what happened to the remaining Petrova sister?"

"The witches cloaked Arria and her husband so no one would ever be able to find them again. I thought it was the last time we would hear from either of those two families, but I was wrong."

"Soon after we were turned, the truth about Klaus' werewolf lineage came to light. The warlock's sister came back then and cursed Klaus' werewolf side to remain dormant, binding the spell to the moonstone." He gave them a twisted smile, "As it was, the witch thought we had gotten off too easy for our sins. She pulled out a vial of Arria's blood and told us that if we ever wanted to break the curse, we would have to spill the blood of a Petrova doppelganger."

Damon felt Elena shiver, and he automatically pulled her even closer. She gave him a grateful smile, reaching out to hold his hand.

Elijah continued, "The witch said that if we had loved the Petrova sisters so much as to have taken away their true happiness, then we could use the rest of our miserable immortal existence forever searching for one who looked like her."

There was a brief silence before Caroline asked hesitantly, "Your family...?"

"Klaus was livid at the curse. He had no active part in the death of the warlock, and he blamed my brothers for what had happened. The rest of my family was adamant that they could never bear to kill someone that looked like the girl, so Klaus eventually killed all of them in his thirst for revenge."

"But not you," Damon said slowly, "He let you live because you had never shown interest in either of the Petrova sisters."

"Klaus and I were very close. He trusted me to help him find and kill the doppelganger because he believed I had not cared for them."

Elena's intuition kicked in, "But you did. You were in love with one of them...which one was it?"

"It must have been Isidora," Caroline said without thinking, "Because you said Katherine reminds you of her."

Elijah neither confirmed nor denied this.

"As you know, Katerina was the first doppelganger. She was born in 1475, yet we did not find her till 1492 in England. We thought all hope was lost after she became a vampire, yet here we are 500 years later, with the second doppelgänger to have ever existed."

There was a brief silence.

Damon said sharply, "You're not telling us something."

"I'm getting to it," Elijah responded, putting his empty glass on the coffee table. "See, the witches favored the Petrova bloodline. They believed that Klaus wouldn't _actually _be able to kill someone who was the mirror image of someone he had claimed to love. They underestimated him, of course. But the point is, they wanted to make sure the doppelgänger would survive."

Elena's senses tingled, telling her that she probably wouldn't like what she was about to hear. "What did they do?"

"They placed a condition that every Petrova doppelgänger would be fiercely protected by two brothers, much in the manner of how the two warlock brothers had loved Arria and Isidora." Elijah stood up, his gaze intensely focused on Damon and Elena. "And so Katerina was protected by Damon and Stefan. _Salvatore_. _Savior. _It is no coincidence." He shrugged then, "And it has been proven several times that Elena falls under the same protection."

Damon's expression had darkened with denial, and Caroline looked bewildered. Elena, however, seemed perfectly calm. "Well, that explains a lot of things. Except one—you said the story was relevant?"

Elijah cleared his throat, "The reason that Klaus was so interested in Stefan...there was another part to unbinding the werewolf curse. It was said that if the two brothers failed in protecting the doppelgänger, and the curse was undone...then one of the brothers who had failed her would be punished."

Caroline frowned, "Punished how?"

"Klaus' werewolf side would be unleashed, but in order to sire the new race of hybrids that he desires...he would need the blood of the brother that had failed to protect the doppelgänger." Elijah turned to look at Elena, "In order to become a hybrid, the victim has to drink both Klaus' and Stefan's blood. And that blood would have to be given willingly."

"Why didn't he use Damon, then?" Caroline asked, "I mean, he _chose _Stefan...but it could have been either brother's blood, right?"

"Technically, yes," Elijah glanced once at Damon. "But perhaps Klaus thought he would not be able to convince Damon to do his bidding...or perhaps he felt that Stefan was the one who failed to protect Elena..."

Damon stood up abruptly, seething with barely controlled fury. "This is BS," he hissed, "You can't say that everything has been—what, predetermined? Fated?" He suddenly shoved the table, sending several glass bottles crashing loudly to the floor. He didn't even flinch as he strode out of the room, the kitchen door slamming onto the wall as it swung wildly behind him.

Elena immediately hurried after him, "Damon..." He was standing across from her, his head lowered and his fists clenching the edge of the kitchen counter. "Are you okay?" she asked, worried. "It's j-just a story...it doesn't have to mean anything."

He glanced up at her words, and Elena winced at the tortured expression on his face. "I've just been told that my _entire _life has been..." he shook his head, laughing bitterly. "I don't even know. Everything with Katherine...with you...none of it was—"

"Hey," Elena said sharply, moving towards him. He tried to jerk away from her grasp, but she refused to let go. "Look at me," she commanded, her tone leaving no room for argument. "Don't say it wasn't real," she said strongly, her nails digging into his skin as his gaze shifted away from hers. "I don't care what some _witches _from over a 1000 years ago said, or prophesied or whatever..."

"You don't understand_," _he snapped. He tried to push her away, but she clung onto him stubbornly.

"I do," she forced him to look at her, "I _do_ understand. It's my life, too." She stared up at him, seeing herself mirrored in his eyes. "As far as I'm concerned, this doesn't change anything. Everything that's happened—it's real." She stood on her tiptoes, pulling him closer as she brushed her lips against his, "_We _are real..."

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><p><em>* I know the myths and legends stuff isn't everyone's favorite thing, but I hope you still found it somewhattt interesting...next chapter will get back to Klaus' agenda ;)<em>


	25. Into the Darkness

_a/n: thank you for all your amazing comments! ooh and get ready for an intense chapter...read in the dark if possible =P_

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><p>Their kiss was interrupted (rather rudely) by a loud banging from the front door. Damon and Elena broke apart in confusion as they heard Caroline exclaim, "My god—what are <em>you <em>doing here?"

Elena swung a startled look in Damon's direction as she hurried back into the living room to see what was happening. Her steps faltered, however, when she caught sight of the haughty woman sitting on the sofa.

"Mrs. Lockwood," Elena greeted uncertainly, quickly glancing at Caroline and Elijah to see that neither of them looked particularly pleased. "Are you looking for Tyler? Because he's not here…"

"So sorry to bother you," Mrs. Lockwood replied crisply, her gaze moving to look at a point over Elena's shoulder. "Damon. I would say it's a pleasure, but unfortunately I'm here on business."

"I was never one for mixing business and pleasure," Damon responded smoothly, "What seems to be the problem?"

"I've received some troubling news, you see…" Carol suddenly pulled a cell phone from her handbag and pressed a button. "Yes," she said into the receiver, "They're all here." There was a pause. "Yes. Go ahead and send them in."

Elena frowned, "Wait, what are you—" The words died on her lips as the front door slammed open again, this time bringing in an armed group of deputies. The men stormed into the house, their heavy boots thudding against the ground as they all took various positions around the living room.

"What is the meaning of this?" Damon demanded, his eyes narrowing at Carol. "I don't know what you think you're doing, but if you want to search the place then I'm going to need to see a warrant."

"We're not searching the place," Carol said indifferently, "I already found what I was looking for."

An ominous silence followed her words.

Elena's breath caught when she suddenly saw a movement from the corner of her eye. She turned to see a shadow looming from the hallway, growing larger and larger until finally the figure it belonged to stepped into the living room.

Klaus.

A pronounced smirk already tugging at his mouth, he nodded at Mrs. Lockwood. The woman blinked, her eyes becoming focused as she stood up and faced Damon. "It has been brought to my attention," she said sharply, "That you may not have been entirely honest with the Council, Mr. Salvatore."

Damon didn't move a muscle, watching as Mrs. Lockwood strode purposefully towards him.

She tilted her head, continuing in a dangerous voice, "You've had us all fooled, haven't you? Playing the part of the larger than life hero...the absolute _godsend _into Mystic Falls to rid the town of vampires..."

"But then you learn," Klaus took a deliberate step forward, "That all of that has been a lie."

"What exactly," Damon asked coldly, "Are you implying?"

Mrs. Lockwood's mouth twisted with disdain, "I think you know exactly what I'm talking about, Damon. Say, where's that brother of yours? I haven't seen him for a while."

"Italy," Caroline blurted out nervously, "Relatives."

"A likely story."

Elena could feel adrenaline shooting through her veins as her fight-or-flight instincts kicked in. "Klaus." The name slipped out of her mouth before could stop herself, and his gaze snapped across the room to meet hers. "_Please, _d-don't..." She had no idea what she was asking for, and she knew it sounded like she was begging. At that moment, however, she couldn't bring herself to care.

Klaus smiled and walked at an almost leisurely pace across the room until he was standing in front of her. "I would advise you," he leaned towards her conspiratorially, "To duck."

"W-what?" Elena took an involuntary step backwards, her body instinctively putting space between itself and the threat of danger.

"I said, _duck_." Without warning, he abruptly shoved her—_hard_—and she cried out as she went stumbling into the wall behind her before falling to the ground, her arm twisting painfully underneath her at an unnatural angle.

At the same time, Mrs. Lockwood suddenly shouted, "NOW!"

Elena gaped in terror as the air above her was immediately filled with vervain darts flying from every direction. She heard Caroline scream with pain, and then two more gut-wrenching blasts that sounded suspiciously like gunshots. Elena desperately tried to get off the floor, but Klaus unexpectedly appeared in front of her. "I suggest you stay down if you don't wish to die a rather excruciating death, my love."

Damon roared in agony.

Elena froze, fear instantly gripping her heart. "No—no, what are you doing to him!" she shrieked at Klaus, who was still leering down at her. The expression on his face flickered with slight amusement at her screams, and she felt hatred sweep through her body.

Ignoring the throbbing pain in her arm, she struggled to her feet so that he could no longer look down at her. "Get. Out. Of. My. Way," she hissed through gritted teeth as he backed her into the wall and trapped her between his arms, effectively blocking her from the fight behind him. Tears of frustration pricked her eyelids as she hysterically fought against his grip, but he didn't move a single inch.

Then Caroline screamed again, sounding considerably weaker than the first time—and Elena froze as she heard the unmistakeable sound of a body falling to the ground. There were a few more seconds of shouting and then, quite suddenly, everything went silent.

"It's done."

Klaus turned around slightly at the sound of Mrs. Lockwood's voice and he appeared to survey the damage before carefully stepping away from Elena. She immediately rushed out of his grasp, her mouth dropping open in horror. "Caroline!" she ran to her friend's unmoving body, which was sprawled across the floor. "My god," Elena whispered, her fingers trembling as she clumsily began ripping out the vervain darts.

"You were right, sheriff," Mrs. Lockwood said in a hard voice, "They were both vampires."

_Both_.

Elena looked up at her words, her gaze frantically darting around the living room. "Damon?" she got to her feet slowly, spinning on the spot and growing increasingly scared when she didn't see him anywhere. "Where is he?" she shouted at Mrs. Lockwood, her voice wavering out of control. "WHERE'S DAMON?"

Someone cleared their throat, and Elena looked towards the sound hopefully. Her gaze landed instead on Elijah, who was standing in the corner and seemed to be the sole one unscathed. He sent her a look of warning, but she had no idea what he was alluding to.

"Ah yes," Klaus announced, "That one is a vampire, too. Arrest him."

Mrs. Lockwood frowned incredulously, "But Sheriff, he was hit with several vervain darts and he's perfectly fine."

Elena squinted at Elijah, only then noticing the darts sticking out in various places of his body. His expression didn't change as he picked them out, one by one, and threw them onto the ground. "Yes, _sheriff_," he said in what could only be described as a condescending tone, "The vervain did not affect me."

Klaus didn't look the least bit bothered. "I assure you, mayor," he said forcefully, "The man is a vampire." Then Klaus reached into his pocket casually, producing an object in the palm of his hand.

The dagger.

Elena had to stop herself from groaning out loud, and she saw the annoyance flit across Elijah's face.

"Arrest him," Klaus repeated, and several of the deputies came forth to handcuff Elijah. He initially jerked his arms out of their grip, but then Klaus held the dagger up—a clear warning sign. Elijah glared at his brother, but stopped struggling. "Good man," Klaus approved, "It'll go better for you if you don't fight us." Elijah was scowling, but he let himself be led out of the room, glancing back only once to look at Elena.

Elena turned towards Klaus, her eyes flashing. "You won't get away with this," she said, her voice thick with rage, "Whatever you're up to, I won't let you get away with it!"

Klaus cocked an eyebrow at her, closing the distance between them so that they were inches apart. "Do you want to know what I have, Elena?" He gestured with his thumb over his shoulder, "I have _three _sacrifices." He paused with a grin, "Two vampires and an Original. I think the other side will be quite pleased with them, don't you think?"

She jolted backwards as though she'd been slapped. "But...you _can't_! The three sacrifices were meant for—"

"The other side seems rather demanding," Klaus spoke loudly over her, "But after they're appeased with their three sacrifices, they'll leave us alone for good. Isn't that what you want?" He smirked at her, "And if I get to live in the process, well that's only an added benefit..."

"NO!" Elena shrieked, her fists clenching as she pounded them against his chest furiously. "I won't let you do this! I'll stop you! I'll—"

She broke off with a gasp of pain as his hand shot out to grab both of her wrists in unbreakable grip. "You can try to save them," he informed her in a low voice, his eyes narrowing dangerously, "But do you really think I don't have a plan B?"

Elena swallowed, "A plan B?"

Klaus raised three fingers at her, "Hasn't it been a while since you've heard from your brother, the werewolf, and Katerina? They left for the Lockwoods' house more than two hours ago, did they not?"

"You_..._" she clenched her jaw, "Where are they?"

"My witch was waiting for them when they arrived. She has them captured," Klaus stepped away from her, his eyes cold. "They'll be ready to use if anything goes wrong with these three."

Her heart sank even lower. "Your witch?"

"Well someone had to be here to coerce the mayor into making me sheriff," Klaus laughed, "It's the only way to control someone when you can't use Compulsion." When Elena didn't respond, he growled, "Don't do anything stupid, Elena, and you might just get to live through all this." Then he turned around and raised his voice, "Alright, we're done here. Grab the girl and Mr. Salvatore..."

Elena watched helplessly as three of the deputies picked Caroline off the floor. The blonde vampire was completely unconscious, her head drooping onto her chest. As the group awkwardly made their way out of the house, two more men crouched down behind the sofa—and Elena's body shot forward of its own volition when she saw Damon being lifted to his feet.

Unlike Caroline, he was still semi-conscious and he groaned audibly as he was moved. "Oh my god—_Damon_!" Elena had almost reached him when a strong pair of arms pulled her back, and she screamed as she fought tooth and nail against whoever was holding her. "No—_let me go_!"

"Take him away," Klaus said in a bored voice, and her anger grew exponentially when she realized _he _was the one that was forcing her to stay back.

The deputies began trying to shuffle Damon out of the room, but his feet dragged against the floor in a last-ditch effort to fight against them. Elena screamed his name again, and it was with extreme difficulty that he opened his eyes. The near-lethal dosage of vervain had his muscles screaming in protest as fire raged through his veins. Another groan escaped his lips as he muttered her name desperately, "Elena?"

She stopped struggling for a split second at the sound of his voice, and then redoubled her efforts with a vengeance. Behind her, Klaus shifted, annoyed as he tried to keep his grip on her. "Will you people get him out of here?" he snapped, losing patience.

"DAMON!" Elena screamed again as several more deputies entered the room to help carry the vampire out. "_Please! _Don't do this!" Tears streaked down her face openly, but she made no effort to wipe them away. Not caring any more about the pain, she wrenched her arm out of Klaus' grip and he let go momentarily when he heard her shoulder dislocate. Elena ran wildly into the hallway, just in time to see them carry Damon out of the front door.

As Klaus reached her again—this time his arms encircling her waist to hold her back—Damon's blue eyes found hers. The intensity of his gaze took her breath away, and she found herself gasping for air. "I'll—I'll fix this!" she managed to say, knowing that he was watching her, knowing that he could hear her. "I'll find a way—_I promise!" _Tears blurred her vision as she mouthed, "I'll save you."

Whether it was a trick of the light or her own imagination, Damon seemed to nod at her once before his eyes closed again and he disappeared into the back of a large black van.

With a muttered oath, Klaus let go of Elena and she dropped to her knees from the sudden loss of support. "Goodbye, Elena," he said to her, his expression unreadable as he walked out the door and shut it behind him.

Elena sat there, in the hallway, the tears flowing down her cheeks. Several moments later, she heard the squeal of tires as the van and the squad cars tore out of the driveway. She sat still for one more second, breathing hard.

Then she sprang into action, making a dive for her cell phone. "Come on, come on," she muttered frantically as she called Jeremy, Tyler, and then Katherine in quick succession. All three cell phone numbers went straight to voicemail. She ran her fingers through her hair, her shoulders shaking. "Okay, Bonnie, please pick up," she prayed, listening to the ringing on the other line. "Pick up..." _Hey, you've reached Bonnie, I'm unable to come to the phone right now—_

"Damn it!" Elena threw her phone down on the sofa, pacing back and forth. Who was she missing? She paused for a second, realization hitting her like a gust of wind. Ric! She leapt for her phone again, her fingers fumbling over her contact list in her haste. Finally she pressed his number in, the phone held to her ear eagerly.

A phone began ringing in the kitchen.

Elena listened to the sound for a few seconds in some trepidation before walking into the next room.

Alaric's cell phone flashed innocently from the kitchen counter.

She wasn't aware of her phone slipping out of her fingers, and she barely registered the crash as it fell by her feet. Numb, she walked back into the living room and sank down onto the sofa.

This was it.

Everyone was either captured, in jail, or MIA.

For the first time—_ever—_she was alone.

"Think," she muttered to herself, "_Think_..."

Then she got it.

She _wasn't _alone.

Quite calmly, she took steady steps across the room until she reached the door that led to the basement. "Stefan?"


	26. Know Thy Enemy

_a/n: thanks to everyone who pointed out that the myth needed to be fleshed out a bit for it to completely make sense. hopefully this chapter clears up any of your remaining questions! _

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><p>Stefan was sitting tiredly against the stone wall in his cell. The near-constant presence of vervain in his system coupled with the scant quantities of animal blood he was being given had dulled his senses to an almost human level—and the lack of his abilities was making him edgy.<p>

Suddenly, he heard the gate to the passageway swing open. Fresh air filtered through into his cell, and he frowned as he breathed in deeply. It wasn't possible, but…

"Stefan?"

He stood up abruptly, the chains clinking loudly behind him. "Elena?" he called back incredulously, "Is that you?"

"Yeah," her voice echoed down the dark corridor, "It's me. I…need your help."

He waited, but didn't hear any footsteps. "Elena? Where are you?"

There was a brief silence.

"Is it…safe?"

Stefan bit back his initial retort (didn't she know he was chained up?) and instead sighed, "Yes. You'll be safe."

She came cautiously, approaching with obvious hesitance. And when he finally laid eyes on her, his mouth dropped open in shock. Whatever he had been expecting, it certainly hadn't been _this_. Her hair was ragged, her cheeks were stained dry with tears, and she was out of breath. "What—" Stefan sputtered, "What happened to you?"

His gaze roamed over her again, this time focusing on the arm that she was holding awkwardly to her chest. Stefan instinctively tried to move towards her, momentarily forgetting about the restraints on his wrists. He let out a hiss of frustration, and Elena immediately jumped back at the sound, looking frightened.

"No, no," he said quickly, trying to hold out a hand to calm her, "It's fine, everything is fine." He made a huge effort to reign in his anger; she was already wearing a deer-in-the-headlights expression—there was no need to spook her even further. He tried again, "Elena? What happened to your arm? Is it broken?"

"Huh?" she looked down at her arm, seemingly confused. "Oh...no, it's just dislocated. Th-that's not why I'm here."

He shook his head, suppressing his impatience. "What happened? Where is everyone?"

"Stefan…" her lip trembled, "He took everyone…They're all gone!"

"He? Elena, what are you talking about? Who took—" he broke off as a horrible thought occurred to him, "Klaus?"

She nodded and began speaking rapidly, her words tripping over each other as she rushed to tell him what had just happened. When she was done, he sunk down onto the ground, speechless. "So you're telling me that Elijah, Damon, and Caroline have been pegged as vampires by the mayor? Where did she take them?"

"I don't know," Elena said frantically, her hands reaching out to grip the bars on his cell. "But Klaus is keeping them until his witch opens the portal to the other side, and then he's going to sacrifice them!"

"How did Klaus find out about the three sacrifices?" Stefan asked shrewdly, "I thought Anna and Vicki only told Jeremy about that."

"I think his witch must've found out somehow," Elena paced back and forth, "He had this all planned out, Stefan. Keeping his witch stationed at the Lockwood house to intercept Katherine, Tyler, and Jeremy so that he could have a back-up plan? That's too convenient, even for him."

Stefan's brow furrowed, "But Klaus knew I was down here...why didn't he—"

"He needs your blood," Elena interrupted, "In order to create the new race of hybrids."

"_What_?"

"Elijah told us this story..." she quickly told Stefan everything she could remember, watching as his expression grew stony. "That's why," she finished, "That's what his plans for you were."

"The doppelganger was fated to be protected by two brothers?" Stefan snorted, "That's rich." He glanced up at her, "You believe it?"

She shrugged, carefully avoiding eye contact. "It's just a story. The truth is what we choose to believe."

He was silent for a few moments. "So Damon and I fought to keep you human to save you from Klaus...but what about Katherine? She was already a vampire by the time we met her. Why did we try to protect her?"

Elena bit her lip, "Maybe because she was still on the run from Klaus? Maybe the legend meant that Petrova doppelgangers had to be protected from Klaus no matter what?"

"And what about before us?" he pressed, "She became a vampire in 1492...we didn't meet her until 1864. How did she..." he trailed off, a frown crossing his face.

"What? What is it?"

"Katherine always did say that she had a penchant for attracting brothers," Stefan muttered, almost to himself. He looked up to see Elena gazing at him questioningly. "When Damon and I were fighting over Katherine," he explained, "She mentioned in passing that it wasn't the first time that had happened to her. Of course, I didn't question why so many men had fought over her throughout the years, but..."

"But it makes sense," Elena finished, pursing her lips. She stared at Stefan for one second longer before reaching into her pocket and producing a set of keys. He could hear her pulse accelerate as she slowly unlocked the cell door and walked in.

"It's only been a few days," Stefan said as she tossed him the keys to the chains. He took a deep breath, "I can only promise you that I will do my best to keep the bloodlust under control."

"I know," she said quietly, "But these are our friends, our family...Damon—people that we care about, Stefan. I'm willing to do whatever it takes to get them back."

.

Twenty minutes later, Elena was in the kitchen heating up three mugs of animal blood. She had made a few calls while she waited for Stefan, and she had a feeling he wouldn't be too happy about what she was planning.

A moment later, the kitchen door opened and a fresher-looking Stefan walked into the kitchen. "Hey," she tried to say in a casual voice, "How are you feeling?"

"Nothing like a shower and a change of clothes to erase the stench of jail time," he deadpanned, his expression sobering when she didn't smile. "Too soon?" he guessed, taking a seat at the kitchen table and nodding at the mugs. "Are these for me?"

"I figured you needed to keep your strength up." She sat across from him, watching closely as he began drinking the blood. "How does it taste?"

Stefan didn't answer her and instead glanced down at her arm again, "You should let me fix that for you."

"How would you do that?"

"My blood, Elena. Just—"

"No," she said immediately, "I'm fine. I don't need your blood."

Anger flashed briefly across his face, but then he shrugged, "Okay. It's up to you." He stood up and placed the empty mugs in the dishwasher before turning back to Elena. "As far as the plan goes, I think you should take Damon's car and go to the burial grounds to find Alaric and Bonnie. She's probably in the middle of her spell, which is why she couldn't answer her phone. In the meantime, I'll take my car and try to scope out where Klaus is hiding Damon and the others—what's wrong?"

Elena shifted uncomfortably, "I think it's important that we stick together for this plan to work. Strength in numbers, right?"

His eyes narrowed, "You don't want me to be on my own out there...you think I'll try to escape? Attack some humans?"

"I already called Mrs. Forbes," Elena said, crossing her arms tightly. "She promised us at the beginning of all this that she would help if we needed it. Well, now we do." She glanced up at Stefan, "I told her to go to the burial grounds. You and I will go find Damon and the others."

.

They had parked the car across the street from the police station and Elena waited impatiently as Stefan tried to listen to what was going on inside. "Well?"

"I'm trying!" he snapped, and Elena fell silent. Stefan closed his eyes briefly, running his fingers through his hair. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to say it like that. It's just..." he trailed off, glancing out of the car window.

Elena followed his gaze to all of the pedestrians passing through the center of town. "Maybe this was a bad idea," she said uneasily, "I should've realized there would be a lot of people walking around—I didn't think...this must be really hard for you."

He gripped the steering wheel for a second, fighting his baser instincts. "Let's just get inside," he suggested in a strained voice, "There won't be as many people in there."

"Okay," Elena agreed, warily following Stefan across the street. They paused as they walked into the station, surprised to see the place completely deserted.

Stefan frowned, "Something's not right. Where is everyone?" He listened carefully, but still didn't hear anything. "Check the doors," he said to Elena, "I'll look for clues."

She nodded and began trying all the doors in the station. Several minutes later, she had reached a door that wouldn't budge. _Sheriff's Office_. "Stefan?"

He came at once, gesturing for her to stay back. His muscles tensed and then he leapt at the door, kicking it open—and they both rushed in when they saw a body lying motionless on the ground. "Damon!" Elena exclaimed, kneeling down and shaking his shoulders. "Can you hear me?"

Damon groaned, barely able to open his eyes. "Elena?" he asked weakly, "What are you doing here?"

"Come on," she said urgently, trying to move him into a sitting position. Stefan hovered behind her, pulling Damon's arms back until he was propped up against the wall.

"Elena...it was a trick..." he mumbled, swaying sideways. Stefan knelt down to steady him, and Damon's eyes widened slightly. "You called in the cavalry?"

Stefan gripped his brother's shoulder, "Yeah, she did. Now, what trick are you talking about? Where are the others?"

"He knew you would come here first," Damon muttered, "We're not the three sacrifices."

"Then who is?" Elena demanded, throwing a confused glance in Stefan's direction. "Tyler, Jeremy, and Katherine? Did he go to the Lockwood's house?"

"No...he went to the place you thought was safe...the burial grounds."

"Oh god," she sat back on her heels, feeling sick. "Bonnie and Alaric? And...Mrs. Forbes! I sent her over there to warn them—"

Stefan clenched his jaw, "Okay, we have to get over there. Where's Caroline? Elijah?"

"Downstairs in the cells," Damon said, stringing the sentence together with extreme difficulty. "Elijah's been staked with the dagger again."

"I'll go get them," Stefan shouted over his shoulder as he ran out the door, "Stay here."

Elena turned back to Damon worriedly, "What can I do to help?"

He attempted a halfhearted grin, "You came to save me, just like you promised."

"I always keep my promises," Elena whispered back, sitting down next to him and pulling him into a hug. "I was so scared that I had lost you," she murmured into his hair, and she felt him tighten his arm around her in reassurance.

"I told you before," he mumbled into her shoulder, "You can't get rid of me that easily." Elena smiled in spite of herself and drew back to meet his gaze. "Don't," he said, brushing his thumb gently over the single tear running down her cheek. He tried to nod his head in the direction that Stefan had gone, "You walked into the lion's den for this mission? You trusted him?"

"There was no one else to turn to," Elena wrapped her arms around Damon, feeling a psychological need to keep him close. "I knew he would help."

"Risky."

"Saving you was more important."

"I disagree."

"I know," she returned, "But you would've done the same for me."

Damon didn't deny this.

"I told him about the myth," Elena said after a minute, "He didn't say too much about it, but I have a feeling he was—" She broke off in alarm when Damon suddenly grabbed her arm, "What's wrong?"

"I just remembered," he said hoarsely, "The witch that Klaus is using. I know who it is."

"Who?"

"Lucy Bennett."


	27. Blood Ties

_a/n: thanks for your lovely reviews...four chapters left :) _

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><p>Damon raised his fist and knocked on the door.<p>

_Once_.

Nothing.

_Twice_.

Distant footsteps.

He was in the middle of the third knock when the door swung open. The dark haired woman stepped onto the threshold, her eyes narrowing as she studied the vampire in front of her carefully. When he didn't make any sudden movements, she relaxed slightly and spread her arms alongside the doorway—effectively blocking his entrance. "Well, well," she raised an eyebrow, "If it isn't Damon Salvatore."

Damon folded his hands behind his back and gave her an indifferent smile, "If it isn't the bitch who betrayed her own family."

The expression her face didn't change, "A Salvatore lecturing me on the meaning of _family_? Interesting...say, haven't you been out to destroy your own brother's life for a century and a half?"

"I see my reputation precedes me," He stepped closer to her, but she didn't back away.

"Reputation?" Lucy crossed her arms as she leaned against the doorway, "You forget that I worked closely with Katherine Pierce...All she did was talk about the Salvatore brothers." She paused, tilting her head. "Well," she amended, "She talked more about Stefan."

"Of course she did," Damon responded without batting an eyelid. "You know, I wonder what dear ol' Emily Bennett would say if she knew that you were working with a _vampire _to kill your own flesh and blood?"

"You think you've got me all figured out, don't you?"

"That's because you're working for Klaus," Damon answered sharply, his gaze flicking over her shoulder to peer into the Lockwood house. "Get out of the way."

"Or what?"

"Or we'll _make _you get out of the way," Stefan said, walking casually up the pathway to the house. He was flanked by both Caroline and Elena. "What?" he said to Lucy, who looked caught off guard. "You didn't think Damon came here alone, do you?"

She rolled her eyes, but stepped away from the door to let them inside. "I thought Klaus had you trapped at the sheriff's station?"

"Elena helped us stage a jailbreak," Damon answered, looking around the house. "Where are they?"

"Who?" she asked innocently, smiling when four pairs of eyes glared at her. "Not to worry, they're perfectly safe." She gestured to the living room, "Have a seat. We need to talk."

Caroline placed her hands on her hips, "Um, what makes you think that you're giving the orders here?"

Lucy grinned, "Klaus told me that I would like you." Then she raised her hands in a gesture of peace, "No tricks, I swear. I just want to talk."

Elena didn't move, "Where's my brother?"

"Sit, and I'll tell you." After a few moments of grumbling, everyone was eventually seated. Lucy took a deep breath and turned to look at Damon, "I know what this all looks like, but the truth is that I was protecting Bonnie."

"How?" Stefan asked, leaning forward in his chair. "What did Klaus say to you?"

"Klaus threatened to kill Bonnie if I didn't follow his orders. So I did what he told me to. No questions asked."

Elena didn't look sympathetic. "You could have come to Bonnie for help. We could've all worked together."

"You forget that Klaus was watching my every move," Lucy said, glancing up at Elena. "I didn't want to take the chance of putting Bonnie in danger."

"Well, that worked out great," Damon snapped, "Seeing as how Klaus is planning on using Bonnie as one of the sacrifices."

"What are you talking about? No, Klaus wouldn't do that...he told me to meet him in the woods near those burial grounds later tonight, but—"

"He asked you to open the portal to the other side," Caroline interrupted, "Who did you think the three sacrifices were?"

"You, Damon, and his brother," Lucy frowned, "Speaking of which, where _is _Elijah?"

"Recovering from being staked with the dagger," Damon said flatly, scrutinizing her expression. "It looks like Klaus lied to you. He went to the burial grounds and he has Bonnie captured, as well as two of our other friends. "

Lucy's eyes flashed with anger before her mouth settled into a grim line, "Do you have a plan?"

"I do."

She got the hint and stood up, "Tyler and the others are in the basement. I'll go get them." Stefan and Caroline exchanged glances before following Lucy down the stairs, clearly not fully trusting her.

Elena waited until they were all out of earshot before turning to face Damon. "He seems to be handling himself pretty well," she whispered, referring to Stefan. "Don't you think?"

Damon nodded, staring into the distance, "That's what worries me."

"What do you mean? He's doing good," Elena frowned, "He's fighting against it...You should've seen him when we went to go find you guys at the police station. There were so many people walking around the center of town, but he was able to control himself even though he was clearly struggling with the thirst for human blood. Isn't that the whole point? He has to learn how to control his basic instincts?"

"That's the thing about people who fight so hard to stay _in _control," Damon said ominously, "The pressure builds and builds until the tiniest event shatters it into a million pieces."

Elena sighed, knowing that he was right to be concerned. "Have a little faith," she said softly, shifting on the sofa to goodnaturedly brush his shoulder with her own. "We just have to keep him away from temptation, and he'll be fine."

Damon allowed a grin to cross his face as he turned slightly to whisper in her ear, "Well, you _do _know all about temptation..." He smirked when he saw her shiver slightly, but then he scowled when she accidently moved her arm and winced in pain. "Elena, this is ridiculous...a little vampire blood will heal your shoulder right away—"

She fixed him with a look, "Okay, you guys _do _know I'm human, right?"

"Yes...?"

"So, you _do _understand that humans don't _like _drinking blood?" She held up a hand to stop Damon's protests, "Blood is a life force for vampires, I get it." She shrugged, "But to humans, blood is blood."

"Very insightful, Elena," he said dryly. Then, before she could stop him, he bit into his wrist and offered it to her.

She stared at him in disbelief, "What did I just say?"

"Just let me heal you," Damon answered wearily, "I don't like to see you in pain."

Elena heaved another sigh, but this time in exasperation. "Alright, alright," she muttered, lifting his wrist to her mouth and sucking at the blood pooling at the wound. After a few moments, the throbbing pain in her shoulder disappeared and she knew it had healed.

And then—she didn't know what possessed her to do this—she ran her tongue along Damon's wrist, clearing off the tiny rivulets of his blood that were running down his arm.

She suddenly realized what she was doing and jerked back from his arm, looking up at Damon. His eyes had darkened with desire, and he didn't appear to notice that he was slowly leaning towards her. "What was that, Elena?" he breathed out, his voice lowering dangerously.

"I'm s-sorry," Elena stammered, "I didn't realize—"

She broke off with a gasp as he abruptly reached out and pulled her against him. "Don't apologize," he said roughly, slanting his mouth over hers in a heated kiss. And somewhere in the back of her mind, she dimly knew that she had made the unconscious decision to do what she did—because she had known how he would react.

A staircase creaked faintly, and Elena's eyes widened when suddenly Damon blurred to the other side of the room to put some distance between them. She was still breathing hard when Lucy and Caroline entered the room, depositing a knocked-out Tyler onto the armchair. Stefan came in behind them, carrying Katherine in his arms. Jeremy strode into the room next, looking more than a little pissed off.

"Jer!" Elena leapt off the couch and enveloped her brother in a hug. "Are you okay? Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine," he sent a glare in Lucy's direction, "All she did was tie me up with, like, magical rope or something. I tried to get out but I couldn't."

Elena turned to look at Tyler and Katherine, both of whom were unconscious. "What happened to them?"

"They're under a sleeping spell," Lucy explained, "I knew that they would both be strong enough to escape if I had kept them awake. Don't worry, they should be coming back into consciousness soon."

Jeremy nodded at Damon, "I hear you have a plan."

"Yeah..." he pointed at Katherine, "I have a feeling she's going to want blood when she wakes up."

"I can take her back to the boarding house," Caroline offered, "I can pick Elijah up while we're there, and we can meet you back here?"

"Fine," Damon tossed her his keys, "Jeremy will go with you."

Jeremy rolled his eyes as Caroline slung Katherine over her shoulder, but nonetheless followed them out the door. Damon waited until he heard the car pull out of the driveway before he addressed Lucy. "Klaus needs to think you're still on his side. Do you have a spell to open the portal?"

"Yeah, I brought my grimoire with me. It's upstairs."

"Go get it." Damon then turned to look at his brother, "How are your acting skills?"

Silence.

"Hello? Earth to Stefan?"

Stefan was gazing at Elena, his eyes narrowed. "Your arm is healed."

"What? Oh, um..." she shifted uncomfortably, "Yeah, Damon offered to—"

"I offered, too," Stefan said expressionlessly, "You refused."

"I..."

Damon cleared his throat, "You know me, little bro. I never take no for an answer."

He frowned, "You mean you _forced _her to drink—"

"No!" Elena exclaimed loudly, "No one forced me to do anything. It's not a big deal, Stefan. We have a lot more important things to deal with right now, okay?"

Stefan didn't say anything, his gaze flicking between Elena and Damon suspiciously. But then Lucy came down the stairs, holding a book in her hands. "Alright, got it," she said to Damon, oblivious to the tension in the room. "What's next?"

Damon straightened, his eyes glinting with determination. "Next? It's time we outsmart Klaus."

* * *

><p><em>.<em>

_~To Be Continued~_

_._

* * *

><p><strong>*next chapter we'll see if their plan works ;) <strong>

*btw- FF author lani xo has officially begun reposting her fics on LiveJournal. I know I'm not the only one who was obsessed with "Dangerous Liaisons" and "Second Chances." check it out!


	28. Finale: Part I

**A/N: **2 months left till TVD! we're almosttt there! haha anyway I've been the most excited to write this chapter from the beginning because it's set up a bit differently from what I usually do. Song for this chapter: **Brave New World (This is War) by 30 Seconds To Mars. **enjoy!

* * *

><p><em>A warning to the people<br>__The Good and the Evil  
><em>_This is war_

* * *

><p>"So, everyone knows the plan?" Damon questioned, his dark eyes glimmering with anticipation. They were all currently gathered at the edge of the woods located on the burial grounds. Since Klaus had ordered Lucy to set up her spell there, they were assuming that he would make an appearance shortly.<p>

Lucy nodded, "I'm going to pretend like I'm getting ready to open the portal. When Klaus arrives, Stefan and Katherine will have to distract him..."

"Tyler and I will be close by," Caroline continued, "So that we'll be able to overhear where Klaus is keeping Bonnie, my mom, and Ric."

"Then Caroline has to find them while Klaus is distracted," Jeremy put in, "And we can get Bonnie to do the spell first, and get rid of Klaus for good."

"The rest of us will be by the perimeter of the woods just in case Lucy needs back-up," Damon finished, "Everyone have their weapons?"

"Locked and loaded," Tyler said, shifting the heavy bag over his shoulders. He winced at the movement, "Man, why do I feel hungover?"

"Aftereffects of the sleeping spell," Lucy said apologetically, "It should wear off soon."

Katherine smiled sweetly, "_I _don't have a headache."

Elena rolled her eyes, "That's because _you _downed like five bags of blood before we got here."

"Hey, Tyler is _more _than welcome to have some of my blood," Katherine smirked, causing Caroline to shoot her a look of annoyance. "What, Barbie? Can't handle a little friendly competition?"

Caroline marched right up to Katherine and jabbed a finger into her chest, "If Tyler is going to drink anyone's blood, it's gonna be _mine." _She tossed her hair over her shoulder, "And by the way, _Damon _is the only one that gets to call me Barbie, got it?"

Damon raised an eyebrow, and Tyler grinned. "That's my girl," he said, winking at Caroline before kissing her soundly on the lips. Katherine pointedly looked away, and Elijah cracked a smile at seeing Katherine being taken down a notch.

"Alright," Elena said, glancing upwards at the darkening sky. "It's getting late. We should get into our positions before Klaus gets here."

"Agreed," Elijah said promptly, "Everyone knows what they have to do? Stefan? Katherine?"

Stefan took a deep breath, looking paler than usual. "Yeah, I know what to do."

"Alright then," Elijah spread his arms wide, "Let the games begin."

* * *

><p><em>To the Soldier, the Civilian<em>  
><em>The Martyr, the Victim<br>This is war_

* * *

><p>Lucy finished placing the candles in a circle around herself, and now she sat cross-legged in the exact center of the woods. Her own grimoire lay in front of her, open to the appropriate page. Although she wasn't actually going to do the spell, she knew she had to put on a show if Klaus was watching.<p>

Shutting her eyes, she called upon her Power. Beneath her closed eyelids, she could see the orange heat of flames as the candles all flickered to life. Somewhere in the back of her mind, another source of power approached her. A familiar source.

Her eyes snapped open to see Klaus standing in front of her, several feet away from the ring of candles. "Right on time," he said to her, "Were you able to keep your end of the bargain?"

"Of course," Lucy remained sitting, staring up at him innocently. "Katherine, the boy, and the werewolf have all been...sedated. They are at the Lockwood mansion, just as you asked."

"Good," Klaus approved, "Are you ready to open the portal?"

"I have gathered my Power," she nodded, "Now all that is left is to utter the words to the spell." Lucy peered around him, "Where are the three sacrifices?"

"I left them at that house," Klaus waved vaguely in the other direction, "I wanted to make sure you were ready for them."

Lucy smiled and said evenly, "You may go get them, if you wish."

Klaus turned to leave, but there was a sudden rustle of leaves from behind him. He frowned, gazing into the darkness for a moment. Lucy took this time to stand up, doing her best to look startled as Stefan stepped into the clearing with Katherine in tow. "Hello, Klaus," Stefan smirked, "Look what I've brought you."

Klaus looked surprised, but he covered quickly. "Stefan! Don't tell me you escaped from that little jail cell they put you in?"

"Escaped?" Stefan laughed humorlessly, "No, no. See, Elena came into the basement all distraught and vulnerable, telling me how you had captured everyone and that I was her last hope." He shrugged, "I got all the information out of her that I could, and convinced her that I would help."

"I see," Klaus drawled, "Then what did you do with her?"

"Knocked her out and locked her in the basement," Stefan said coldly, "Let her know what it feels like." Then he shoved Katherine forward, and she stumbled as she fell into Klaus' arms. "I thought I'd bring you a little treat."

"Let me go," Katherine snarled as she fought against Klaus' grip. For good measure, she turned to glare at Stefan, "I'll never forgive you for this! I hate you!"

Stefan blurred to stand in front of her, and tipped her chin upwards so she was forced to look at him. "Hate? Ah, but that sounds like the beginning of a love story, Katherine, not the end of one." He winked at her when she let out a hiss of rage, and stepped backwards. "You tried to escape before, so it's only fitting that you're trapped now." He turned to grin at Klaus, "Poetic justice, right?"

Klaus smiled approvingly.

* * *

><p><em>A warning to the Prophet,<br>The Liar, the Honest  
>This is war<em>

* * *

><p>Caroline waited just long enough for Tyler to scramble up the nearest tree and position himself within the depths of the branches. From that vantage point, he would be out of sight of Klaus but still have a good view of what was happening.<p>

Once she was sure he was completely hidden, she whirled around and blurred back through the woods. There were no sounds coming from the house when she got there, which led her to believe that the captives had made their own getaway.

She paused, closing her eyes and using her super hearing to see if they were still in the area. A moment later, the faint voices of people yelling reached her ears. Caroline immediately turned on her heel and sped in the direction of the noise.

She skidded to a halt when she saw Bonnie standing next to Alaric's car, arguing furiously with whoever was inside. "Oh my god, thank goodness you're all okay!"

Bonnie's mouth dropped open in shock. "Caroline?" she stammered, "What are you doing here? I thought Klaus had everyone under lockdown?"

"It's a long story," Caroline hugged her friend before reaching into the open window and embracing her mom, who looked near tears. "Everything's gonna be alright, I promise," she said firmly, stretching her arm in further to briefly grasp Alaric's hand.

Without further ado, she quickly explained what Klaus had done and how they were planning on outsmarting him. "So, while he's busy, _you _have to open the portal and send Klaus to the other side...Lucy said she'll bind her powers to yours or something if there's any trouble," Caroline concluded.

Bonnie agreed instantly, "I'll do it." Then she jerked her heard towards the car, "Can you convince these two to get out of here?"

Alaric sent her a pointed look but surrendered under Caroline's glare. "Fine, we'll go..._Don't _do anything reckless, understand?"

Mrs. Forbes reached out to give Caroline another hug, "I love you. Be careful, you two."

"We will," Bonnie answered, and then she turned to look at Caroline. "Come on, Klaus will only be distracted by Stefan and Katherine for so long. Where's Jeremy? He can communicate with Anna and Vicki once I open the portal."

"He's with Elena," Caroline pulled out her cell phone. "I'll tell him to meet us inside that house. Let's go."

As soon as the two girls left, Alaric jumped out of the car and ran to the trunk. He pulled out some weapons and ran back to an incredulous looking Liz. "Listen to me," he said urgently, "I know how these plans usually turn out, and it never ends well. I need to stay and help with the fight. You take the car and leave before it's too late." Before Mrs. Forbes could respond, he ran into the woods and disappeared into the darkness.

* * *

><p><em>Oh, to the Leader, the Pariah<br>__The__ Victor, the Messiah  
><em>_This is war_

* * *

><p>Damon got off the phone, and turned to Elena. "So far, so good. Bonnie has started the spell at that house. Let's just hope that my dear brother is providing a sufficient enough distraction to keep Klaus occupied."<p>

Elena nodded, swallowing her fear. "Mrs. Forbes and Alaric?"

"They're on their way out of here," Damon responded tightly, "At least we know of two people that'll be safe through all this."

She took a deep breath and raised her head to look at the sky. The stars twinkled innocently down on them, and she found herself sighing, "I can't wait till this is all over."

"I know," Damon said quietly. He stood behind Elena and wrapped his arms around her, enjoying the weight of her body against his. "When Klaus is gone, our lives can go back to normal." He paused and then amended, "Well, as normal as can be expected."

Elena half-smiled, twisting her head around to look at him. She studied his expression carefully before commenting, "You're worried about what happened with Stefan earlier."

"You didn't tell me that Stefan had offered you his blood," Damon pointed out, his breath grazing her ear. "Why didn't you accept it?"

She shrugged, her gaze falling to the ground. "I guess...I didn't want to feel like I owed him anything." She shifted in Damon's arms, "Honestly, I didn't think he would get so upset about it..."

"I told you," Damon murmured, "He's fighting to stay in control right now. The smallest thing, no matter how insignificant it is, could be the catalyst that pushes him over the edge."

"Yes," Elijah said as he entered the clearing, watching as Damon and Elena immediately sprang apart. "Such as seeing the two of you in a compromising position—"

"_Compromising position_?" Damon rolled his eyes, "This isn't the 1800s..." He frowned, his gaze following the dagger that Elijah was tossing into the air casually. "Why did you bring that thing, anyway?"

"Because I would gladly gauge my own eyes out in favor of being staked with this godforsaken dagger ever again," Elijah said pleasantly, ignoring Elena as she stifled her laughter. "When Bonnie opens the portal, I'm going to hurl it into whatever hell dimension Klaus disappears into. Then I will never see it—or him—again."

Damon looked amused but didn't reply.

After a few minutes of silence, Elena checked her phone for the umpteenth time. "I thought Tyler was supposed to be updating us on what's going on with Klaus and Stefan," she complained, "Why isn't he saying anything?"

Elijah began to answer when something suddenly rustled in the trees behind them. "Hello?" he called out, "Who's there?"

A woman stepped out then, flanked by two deputies. "Mrs. Lockwood," Elena gasped, "What are you doing here?" She turned and hissed at Damon, "How is she still being controlled? I thought Lucy stopped?"

Damon narrowed his eyes, studying the mayor's expression. "Compulsion," he muttered back, "Klaus must've waited till the vervain left her system and then taken his chance."

"Imagine my surprise," Mrs. Lockwood began coldly, "When I tried to bring Klaus' sacrifices to him, but the door wouldn't open for me?"

Elena and Damon exchanged glances. _Bonnie. _

_"_What do you want?" Damon asked in a hard voice, "We can't help you get in."

"I know," Mrs. Lockwood raised her hand as some sort of signal, and both of the deputies raised their guns—one pointed at Damon, while the other pointed at Elena. "The three of you are going to come with me," she said clearly, "To pay a little visit to Klaus."

Damon sneered, "We're not going anywhere with you."

"If you don't start walking, then I will order my deputies to shoot," the mayor went on in a blank tone. "The gun pointed at Elena is filled with regular bullets, and the one pointed at you is filled with wooden bullets. I know you're a vampire, but you can't get out of the way _and _save Elena."

Elijah said blandly, "I believe you're underestimating the speed of a vampire."

She smirked in response, "I believe you're underestimating Klaus." She turned to her deputies, "Show them," she commanded. There was a second of confused silence, and then both of the deputies vamped out.

Elena's mouth dropped open, "Th-they're vampires? Klaus turned them?"

"Oh no, honey," Mrs. Lockwood grinned, "They're hybrids."

* * *

><p><strong>*<strong>_while waiting for the next chapter, how about a little guessing game? =P Match the characters to the words (soldier, civilian, etc.) __can't wait to hear your thoughts! xoxo_


	29. Finale: Part II

**A/N: **I enjoyed reading everyone's guesses in matching the characters :) I was especially amused that quite a few of you matched Stefan with "pariah" (definition- someone who is despised, or an outcast) LOL.

For the rest of the words, I honestly think they could be interchanged between any of the characters—for example, almost everyone has been a martyr, victim, civilian, leader, liar, honest, at one point or another. Though, "soldier" and "prophet" inevitably go to Alaric and Bonnie =P

As for the Messiah (definition- savior) and the Victor...well I guess we'll find out at the end of the chapter ;)

* * *

><p><em>It's the moment of truth and the moment to lie<em>  
><em>The moment to live and the moment to die<em>  
><em>The moment to fight<br>_**-30STM **

* * *

><p>"Okay, now your arm," Klaus ordered.<p>

Katherine gritted her teeth as she pulled the knife out of leg and stabbed it into her arm instead. She flicked a glare in Stefan's direction, and his expression turned apologetic for a fraction of a second before he twitched his shoulders at her. _He felt bad—but he couldn't do anything about it_.

"Now your other arm."

When Katherine hesitated, Klaus narrowed his eyes at her. "I _said, _your other arm."

"I heard you," she snapped back, her fist tightening around the handle of the knife as she pulled it out again. This time she couldn't hold back the hiss of pain that escaped her lips, and Klaus smiled at her indulgently.

"Hmm, where next?" Klaus mused out loud, "Stefan, any ideas?"

Stefan, however, was saved from answering when a woman's voice called out loudly. "Oh, Klaus! Look what I've brought you…"

Mrs. Lockwood waltzed into the clearing, followed sullenly by Elena, Damon, and Elijah. The two hybrid-deputies brought up the rear, their weapons still pointing firmly at the three captives.

There was silence as both pairs of brothers stared at each other.

Damon was the first to speak, his gaze trained solely on Stefan. "Say, do you remember when you were locked up in the basement and I made the effort to have a little heart-to-heart chat with you?"

"Yes," Stefan said stiffly, fighting to keep the expression on his face stoic. "What about it?"

The look on Damon's face was murderous. "I asked you point-blank if you and Klaus had created any hybrids! You failed to mention that Klaus' master plan involved turning the town's deputies into his little minions, though the ingenuity of it all is simply—"

"What?" Stefan interrupted, confused, "The deputies are hybrids?"

'Don't pretend to be all innocent," Damon snarled, "Elijah told us the legend...Klaus needs your blood—given willingly—to create the hybrid race."

"I...don't remember," Stefan turned to look at Klaus, "Is this true?"

"The legend is true, yes," Klaus shrugged carelessly. "And I Compelled you to forget about the creation of these two hybrids, which is why you don't recall doing it."

"But..." Stefan's brow furrowed, "The legend says my blood must be given willingly..."

"And it was," Klaus smirked, "Come now, you can't have already forgotten the fun we were having? In fact, it was your idea to turn the deputies...a brilliant idea, if I do say so myself."

"Oh," Stefan blinked, coldness settling into his eyes once more, "It does sound like a good idea. Glad I thought of it."

Elena gaped at Stefan, sincerely hoping that he was merely doing an exceptionally good job at acting the part. "Y-you can't be serious," she stammered, "Stefan?"

He didn't answer her.

Klaus looked pleased with the turn of events and he nodded to Lucy, "What are you waiting for? Get the spell started."

"I, ah, thought you wanted me to wait until you were done...torturing Katherine?"

He swept an arm across the clearing, "Look around, witch. There are _plenty _of sacrifices to go around." Klaus turned towards Stefan and slapped an arm around his shoulders, "I think you should get a reward for returning to me. What do you think?"

"A reward?" Stefan's eye glinted in the darkness, "That would be an honor, Klaus. What did you have in mind?"

"How about..." Klaus paused, "I let _you _choose one of the sacrifices?"

"Excuse me?"

"Well, your brother must obviously die for being a nuisance, and so does mine...but I'll let you choose between Elena and Katerina, how about that?"

Damon growled in warning, and Katherine stiffened. Elijah narrowed his eyes at his brother, "You can't possibly make the boy choose between the two Petrova doppelgangers, Klaus. How is he supposed to decide?"

"You act like I'm not being generous with my offer," Klaus scowled, but he relented when he caught sight of Stefan's expression. "Alright, how about each of them gets a chance to plead their case?" He nodded to himself, "Yes, that should be interesting." He turned to Elena, "You have five minutes. Go."

Elena sputtered indignantly, "You're insane!"

"_That's _your defense?" Klaus asked lazily, "You're supposed to be pleading for your life here, Elena."

She crossed her arms, "I refuse to play your stupid game."

"Fine," Klaus shrugged and turned to Katherine, "Your turn, then. Why should Stefan save you?" Katherine was still holding the knife in her hands, and for once she looked speechless. She glanced towards Lucy, who mouthed the words _'stall for time.'_ Klaus tapped his foot impatiently, "We're waiting."

"Because I love him," Katherine said offhandedly, "Is that a good enough reason?"

"Well, if that's all you have to say..."

Lucy's eyes widened frantically at Stefan. _STALL. _

_"_Uh," Stefan cleared his throat, "Why should I believe you?"

"I came back for you," she replied swiftly, "Twice." She paused, her mind whirling. "And don't forget the open connection spell_—_I've been checking up on you, all these years!"

"Is that the best you can come up with?" Klaus looked bored, "Oh well, Stefan are you ready to choose?"

"W-wait!" Katherine cried out, "I love you more than Elena does!" She paused, "I can prove it."

For the first time that night, Stefan looked faintly interested. "You can prove it?"

"Yes," Katherine ignored Damon's glowering expression. "When they were trying a location spell to find you, Bonnie did the _pure of heart_ spell using Elena's blood...but it didn't work. Because for that spell, the human's blood must be your true soulmate_—_the blood has to call for its other half's return." Katherine paused, "And Elena's blood didn't do that."

Elena closed her eyes briefly. So, Katherine was throwing her under the bus. Surprise, surprise.

Stefan's gaze flicked to hers, "Is this true?"

"Um," she began weakly, "See..."

"Oh," Katherine snapped her fingers, "And right after that, I caught her kissing Damon_—"_

_"What_?"

Damon groaned. He knew Katherine was trying to stall for time so that Bonnie could complete the spell, but all she was really doing was creating a pissed-off vampire. He tried to communicate this fact to her, but frowned when he suddenly picked up on the sounds of three people running in their direction. He turned towards the source of noise just in time to see Bonnie, Caroline, and Jeremy enter the clearing, breathing hard.

"Ah, looks like we have a little party on our hands," Klaus grinned. He began to say something else, but then Katherine cut him off.

"She was there," Katherine said, pointing at Bonnie. "She saw Damon and Elena kiss that day."

Caroline looked confused, "What are you talking about? The only people there were me and Elijah." A satisfied look crossed Katherine's face, and Caroline's eyes widened as her hands flew to her mouth. "Oops," she winced, "Did I just put my foot in my mouth?"

"Okay," Stefan began pacing back and forth, his shoulders tensing. "So, what I'm understanding from this little conversation is that there have been _multiple _kisses?" He shot a glare in Elena's direction, "Would you say that's an accurate assessment?"

Damon decided to step in to smooth over the situation, "Listen, Stefan_—"_

_"_Of course," Katherine went on loudly, "None of that compares to the night you signed your life away to Klaus and I found the two of them in bed together..."

There was an instant uproar.

"It wasn't like that!" Elena exclaimed, "Damon was dying—I was j-just..."

"If we all get through this alive," Damon hissed at Katherine, "I'm _so _putting a stake through your heart."

"SHUT UP!"

Everyone fell silent.

Stefan's fists were clenched and he looked angrier than Elena had ever seen him. "Is that why?" he spat at her, "Why you chose to take his blood instead of mine?"

"I..." Elena floundered helplessly, "No—Stefan, nothing happened...I _swear—"_

To add fuel to the fire, Katherine smirked, "Don't blame her, Stefan. See, this is all my fault; I told her it was okay to love the both of you—I guess she took that a _little _too literally..."

Stefan ran shaking fingers through his hair and then across his face, clearly fighting to stay in control. Bonnie and Lucy exchanged glances and then their arms rose towards the night sky in unison. "_NOW_!" Bonnie shouted, letting the Power flow from her fingertips. The streaks of light clashed midair with Lucy's Power, creating a brilliant flash of blue energy.

Elena stumbled back, her hands shielding her face as blinding lightening crashed around them. Several people screamed. And then, quite suddenly, everything went silent. When she opened her eyes again, it was to see a large ring of what looked like blue flames.

Anna and Vicki were standing in the middle of it.

Tyler had appeared, and he stood next to his mother at the edge of the clearing. He gaped openly at Vicki, who gave him a small smile of acknowledgement. "The sacrifices must cross the ring of fire," she said, her voice echoing ethereally. "Whether they walk over willingly or they are pushed over, does not matter."

For a second, no one moved.

Then Klaus hissed, taking a threatening step towards Lucy, "You _betrayed _me? How dare you!"

"And how dare _you _blackmail me into doing your bidding while you were intending to sacrifice Bonnie all along?" Lucy threw back at him spitefully, "Family might not mean anything to you, but blood runs thicker for me."

"You'll regret your decision before the night is over," Klaus growled with a vengeance, "Mark my words."

"You know," Bonnie interrupted, "For someone who's about to be sent to the other side, you sure do talk a lot."

Just like that, everyone sprang into motion. Elijah leapt at Klaus, and they became twin blurs as each tried to overpower the other. And as if there had been some predetermined plan, Damon and Katherine immediately rushed at one of the deputies; Caroline and Tyler rushed at the other.

Elena was left standing next to Jeremy in the midst of it all when her brother suddenly turned towards her, "I have my ring—I can help them!"

She had seen the stubborn look on his face before, and knew she'd be wasting her breath if she tried to dissuade him. "Wait!" Elena called as he began running towards Caroline and Tyler. "At least take some sort of weapon!" Her gaze landed on the knife that Katherine had discarded onto the ground and she grappled for it clumsily before tossing it to Jeremy. "Be careful!"

Jeremy nodded and had just left when someone grabbed Elena's shoulders harshly and pulled her off to the side. She gasped in pain as she was thrown roughly against a tree, her eyes widening when Stefan's face loomed into her vision. "You..." she looked at him wildly, "You should be helping with the fight!" When his grip on her only tightened, she felt nervousness kick into her system. "Stefan, the time for acting is over—y-you _are _just acting, right?"

His expression contorted, rage and control battling for dominance. "You tell me," he hissed at her, "After all, you should win a freakin' _award _for your acting skills—pretending you wanted me to come back home, when you were with _Damon _the whole time...How could you, Elena?"

"No," Elena pleaded, wincing as he shook her shoulders angrily. "It wasn't like that, I—" She broke off when Stefan's nostrils flared, his eyes narrowing as he stared at her arm. "What is it?" she asked shakily, looking down at her hand which had been burning faintly for the past five minutes. "Oh," she said hollowly when she saw the gash across the palm of her hand. _When she had picked up the knife..._

Stefan's eyes had closed, but he couldn't stop the growl that escaped his lips. "Elena..." His voice was strained, and she felt her pulse accelerate in fear. She had a sudden, vivid flashback to the night that they had tried to take down Klaus...Stefan had tasted her blood then—meaning, he was already fighting the temptation...

"Don't," she whispered, unable to move a muscle as held her with an unrelenting grip. He wrenched her arm closer to his lips, breathing hard as the veins appeared around his eyes. Elena watched in stunned disbelief as his mouth suddenly closed over the wound, sucking almost eagerly at the blood.

Tyler's voice shot across the clearing, "I'm a werewolf, you moron! Your bite won't hurt me!" Elena's head snapped up just in time to see Caroline, Tyler, and Jeremy gain the upper hand in their fight against the hybrid, and they shoved him over the ring of fire. Anna and Vicki stepped aside as a portal opened between them, and the hybrid let out a scream before disappearing into it.

"A little help over here would be great," Damon shouted over his shoulder as he and Katherine fought fruitlessly against the remaining deputy. Caroline and Tyler immediately joined the foray, using their combined forces to push the remaining hybrid over the edge. He disappeared in the same manner as the first.

Bonnie and Lucy were both struggling to keep the spell going at this point, and Bonnie let out an exhausted yell, "Anytime, now!"

Elijah and Klaus both stopped fighting, somehow ending up on opposite sides of the clearing. "You may as well cut your losses now," Damon said in a hard voice, "And sacrifice yourself."

Klaus let out a laugh, his gaze roaming across the row of people glaring at him: Caroline, Katherine, Tyler, Damon, Jeremy, and Elijah. "So," he began in an amused tone, "You think that the six of you will be able to overpower me?"

Stefan was staring at Elena, and he let her wrist drop from his fingers. She caught the flash of emotions play across his face—regret, shame, disappointment, and finally...determination. "No," Stefan said in a clear voice, taking Elena's arm firmly and leading her towards the group. "Eight."

"What was that?"

"Eight," Stefan repeated, "It'll be eight against one, Klaus."

Rage settled across Klaus' face when he realized the implications of what Stefan had said. "Et tu, Brutus?" He finally sneered, his accent thickening. "Well in any case, you're wrong. I still have an ace up my sleeve." He turned and gestured to Carol Lockwood, "Come here, dear."

Tyler stiffened, "You leave my mother out of this!"

Mrs. Lockwood paid no heed and walked over to Klaus, a blank expression on her face, "You called?"

"Wait!" A figure suddenly hurtled out of the woods, much to everyone's disbelief. "Okay," Alaric wheezed, "Everyone stay calm."

"_Ric?" _Damon said incredulously, "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Oh, just saving the day. You know, the usual." Alaric sent a significant look in Damon's direction before he strode right up to Mrs. Lockwood and grabbed her hand, "Let's get you out of here." Elena frowned as she swore she saw something glint in his hand under the moonlight, but no one else seemed to be paying attention.

"Is this your master plan?" Klaus was asking, "How disappointing."

Mrs. Lockwood shoved Alaric away forcefully and he fell backwards. "I follow Klaus," she said adamantly, "_Only _Klaus."

"That's right," Klaus abruptly faced her, "You did. But your job is done now. You are free."

Elena suddenly got a very bad feeling about this.

"I am free," Mrs. Lockwood nodded in understanding. Then—before anyone could stop her—she turned on her heel and stepped into the ring of fire.

"NO!" Tyler shouted, and Caroline screamed as he began running towards the fire. "No!" he roared, fighting against Caroline's grip as she desperately leapt at him to pull him back. "That's my mother!"

"You can't go after her!" Caroline shrieked, tears running freely down her face. "Tyler, I'm sorry! I'm sorry—she's gone!"

"I HAVE TO! I have to save her!"

Jeremy looked hopelessly towards Anna and Vicki, both of whom looked shocked. "We can't do anything about it," Anna whispered, "I'm sorry."

"You can't! Tyler, please!" Caroline cried, pulling him into her arms as they both fell to the ground. "You can't go into the portal—you'll never come back! I c-can't let you go in there," she sobbed, ""I love you too much to see you die! I can't lose you..."

"_You_," Elena turned towards Klaus, her voice low with barely suppressed rage, "How could you do this?"

"You can't honestly be surprised, Elena," he watched unconcernedly as she stepped closer to him. "The three sacrifices are done. There's nothing you can do about it."

"Yeah? Well, there's about to be a fourth one," she appeared inches away from his face, "You."

Klaus laughed, "What are you going to do? _Talk _me into walking over?"

Elena tilted her head, circling around him until her back was to the portal. "You know what? I'm _glad _that Arria and Isidora didn't choose to marry you," she said fiercely, "That way you lost the only thing you've ever truly wanted!"

Klaus blinked, surprise filtering his expression as he took a step towards her threateningly. "Ah, so my dear brother has told you the story...don't pretend to understand, Elena."

"Oh I understand perfectly," she said coldly, "Isidora was better off dying than being with you."

He looked enraged, and his arm swung out so fast that she didn't even see the slap coming. Her head snapped to the side from the force of the blow, but she held up a hand to stop anyone from interfering. Instead, she continued to stare up at Klaus unflinchingly. "And I don't care if it wasn't your fault that she died—you _deserve _to be cursed."

Klaus growled, grabbing her shoulders and causing her to stumble backwards. "You shouldn't speak that way about the curse, sweet Elena," he said menacingly, "Thanks to it, you've been hunted, killed, brought back to life..." He lowered his voice persuasively, "Not to mention, you'll never know if what the Salvatore brothers feel for you is real—or just the work of a centuries old witch."

"And you know what I've realized?" Elena returned without skipping a beat, "The spell only said that the brothers would _protect_ the doppelganger." She raised an eyebrow challengingly, "It didn't say anything about love."

By this time, she had been backed up within an inch of the flames. Over Klaus' shoulder, she could see everyone watching their interaction confusedly. Damon, however, was the only one who wore a clear expression. Elena met his gaze and gave him an almost imperceptible nod.

He lifted his head in understanding and looked over at Bonnie, who was watching him carefully. As soon as their gazes met, Bonnie took a deep breath and nodded to Lucy. Together, they gathered the remnants of their Power, pushing it beyond its limit.

At the same time, Damon silently made his way forward. Elena glanced over at him and then back to Klaus. "Well," she smiled up at him innocently, "It looks like I _talked _you into walking over after all."

"Excuse me?"

But Elena had already leapt out of the way, jumping into Damon's waiting arms. Klaus didn't even have time to turn around before Bonnie and Lucy's Power soared, widening the ring of fire by a mere inch.

It was a small, insignificant amount. But it was enough.

Klaus looked down at his feet, which were planted on the wrong side of the flames.

"Goodbye brother," Elijah stepped forward, a deadly look in his eyes as he pulled the dagger out of his pocket and whirled it into Klaus' heart as the portal closed over him. The last they saw of Klaus, he was wearing an expression of pure disbelief.

Lucy and Bonnie began trying to close the portal, but unexpectedly a sudden darkness clouded the gateway. It seemed to emanate a faint whisper and Anna stammered, "W-what? That wasn't part of the deal!"

"Anna?" Jeremy stepped forward, confused. "What's going on? What's happening?"

Vicki turned to look at him, "They're saying that Power was used to open the portal, so Power must be used to close it."

"Huh?"

Elijah was the first one to figure it out. "That's why Klaus wanted Bonnie...he knew a witch needed to be used to seal the portal."

Bonnie's eyes widened, and then she twisted around sharply. "No!" she shrieked when she saw Lucy's expression, "Don't—"

Lucy gave her a rueful smile, "You're a strong, powerful witch, Bonnie Bennett. I'm proud of you."

"Stop—!" But Lucy had already severed the connection. She went running full speed into the portal, and it closed almost instantaneously behind her. Bonnie let out a gasp and fell to her knees, dissolving into tears.

"Jeremy," Anna's voice was fading, "I'll always love you. Be safe."

"Me too," Vicki gave him one last smile, "Goodbye, Jeremy."

And then they both disappeared, and the blue flames vanished into nothingness. Jeremy stared out at the darkness, tears blurring his vision. "I'll always love you, too," he whispered, his gaze lowering to the ground where he caught sight of a dark shadow. "Hey," he squinted, "There's something there! A...body?"

Caroline suddenly blurred forward to where he was pointing, "Oh my god, it's Mrs. Lockwood!"

"_What?" _

Tyler rushed over, dropping to his knees beside his mother and grabbing her wrist. "A pulse! Sh-she's alive!"

Elena moved forward, seeing a familiar glint on Mrs. Lockwood's hand.

Alaric's ring.

"I knew it," she said to him with a small smile as she stepped back. "I thought I saw you give her something before, but I couldn't see what it was."

Alaric only shrugged, "I had a feeling that sacrificing her would be Klaus' next move."

"Good for you, Ric," Damon clapped a hand on his friend's shoulder, "You have insight into the mind of a serial killer. Could prove useful someday."

"Very funny," Alaric responded dryly. "Besides," he glanced over at Elena, "I'm not the only one who predicted Klaus' actions tonight..."

"Oh yes," Damon swung an arm around Elena's shoulders, a small grin gracing his features, "The girl with a plan." He narrowed his eyes at her playfully, "You're lucky I figured out what you were doing. Stefan thought I was crazy for letting you bait Klaus like that."

At his words, Elena glanced around the clearing for Stefan. She found him standing near Katherine, looking broken. Almost as if he could feel her gaze on him, he looked up at her. She studied his expression—he was sorry for drinking her blood against her will, that much was clear.

She sighed and turned back to Damon with a smile, answering his previous question. "You've always had the uncanny ability to read my mind before. I knew you'd let me give it a try."

"Smart," was all he said, leaning forward to brush a kiss on her cheek. "Did you really think it was going to work?"

"I knew Klaus would underestimate a human," she murmured, "He wouldn't be expecting me to do anything." She leaned against Damon, letting herself relax against him. "It's all over, isn't it? We won?"

"Yes," Damon squeezed her hand gently, "We did."

* * *

><p><em>*yay for Klaus finally biting the dust! haha anyway, <em>_**one more chapter left**! it'll be a lighthearted epilogue with all our favorite couples ;) thanks for reading! xoxo_


	30. Epilogue

**EPILOGUE: 2 WEEKS LATER**

* * *

><p><em>i.<em>

* * *

><p>"So, what do you think?" Elena smiled as she stepped out of the dressing room and spun around quickly for the judging committee—aka Bonnie and Caroline.<p>

"Wow," Caroline whistled, raising an eyebrow in admiration. "You look _hot_."

Elena rolled her eyes, feeling self-conscious as several people turned to look at them. "Keep it down," she chastised, "Before they kick us out of the store." She paused, "Though, I'm surprised they haven't kicked us out already, considering how many outfits we've tried on without actually _buying _anything."

Bonnie grinned, "Don't blame Caroline for speaking the truth. You look amazing, Elena." Her gaze slid to the right, where several shoppers kept glancing over at the three girls. "See, that guy over there is even checking you out."

Caroline giggled, "You mean the guy whose wife is glaring at us?"

Elena felt her cheeks heat up, and she placed her hands on her hips. "Well, maybe they're all checking the two of _you _out, ever think of that?"

Caroline covertly smoothed down her silky emerald green summer dress. It was fitted so that it flared at her hips and ended just above her knees. "I think I'll get this," she decided, turning to Elena and adding, "See? We're buying stuff."

Elena only shook her head and turned back to Bonnie, "What about you? Are you getting that top?" When Bonnie looked uncertain, Elena wheedled, "Oh come on, it looks great on you. Doesn't it, Care?"

Caroline looked over Bonnie, studying the top with a calculated gaze. It was a grey and black patterned halter top with a plunging neckline that she had complemented with a short grey blazer and dark jeans. "Perfect," Caroline concluded after a few moments, causing both Bonnie and Elena to laugh.

"I'll get it," Bonnie said slyly, "But only if Elena gets her outfit, too."

"I will, but I'm gonna have to put the boots back—"

"What?" Caroline protested, "No, the boots are _essential _to the hotness of the outfit!"

Elena sighed, looking at herself critically in the mirror. She was wearing black skinny jeans tucked into knee-length black leather boots, paired with a dusky pink formfitting sleeveless shirt that was layered with black lace. "Well, it does seem essential," she admitted, "But it's way too expensive."

"Don't worry about it," Caroline said immediately, "I'll just pay for it on my card and you can pay me back later, okay?"

"No, I couldn't—"

"No excuses," her friend said airily, "Come on, let's go make the shop owner happy by spending tons of money." Elena eventually nodded, and turned to go back into the dressing room when Caroline exclaimed, "Wait! Where are you going?"

"To…change?" Elena said confusedly, "What's the problem?"

"We should just, um, keep these outfits on," Bonnie said haltingly, "Right, Caroline?"

"Yes," Caroline agreed enthusiastically, "I'll tell the shopkeeper to cut off the tags and stuff when we pay. Come on."

Elena didn't really see the point in this, but she followed her friends to the register nonetheless. While Bonnie was paying for her outfit, Caroline stopped Elena from rummaging through her purse. "It'll be easier if I just swipe my card for both of us. You can pay me back later, okay?"

"If you're sure," Elena said hesitantly. While they waited for the cashier to finish removing the security tags, she asked expectantly, "So, what do you guys wanna do next?"

Caroline peered outside, "Well, it's getting dark out…dinner?"

"Sounds good. The Grill?"

"Of course," Bonnie smiled and linked arms with her two friends as they walked back to the parking lot. A group of guys walked by, calling out to them.

Elena ignored them, but Caroline grinned proudly, "Told ya we looked hot."

* * *

><p><em>ii.<em>

* * *

><p>Twenty minutes later, Caroline had parked the car across the street from The Grill. They had just reached the front door when Elena noticed the missing 'We Are Open' sign. "That's weird," she commented to Caroline and Bonnie, "Do you think they're still open?"<p>

"Sure," Caroline dismissed, "When are they ever not?" She reached around Elena to pull on the door handle, swinging it open, "See?"

Elena stepped into the room, her eyes trying to adjust to the darkness. She stopped for a second, a feeling of growing apprehension coming over her. "Yeah, I can't see anything...maybe we should just leave and go somewhere else."

Silence.

"Caroline?" Elena spun on the spot, her heart beginning to pound. "Bonnie? Are you guys there?" There was no response, and Elena had just begun to take a step backwards to hightail it out of there when several of the overhead chandeliers flickered on.

"SURPRISE!"

Elena jumped at the sudden noise, her mouth dropping open in shock as she stared in disbelief at the small crowd gathered in front of her. "What—" she sputtered weakly, "You guys scared me half to death!"

"That was the general idea," Caroline winked at her. She and Bonnie were standing at the forefront of a group that included Jeremy, Alaric, Tyler, Stefan, Damon, Katherine, and (surprisingly) Matt.

"Happy 18th birthday, Elena," Matt gave her a small grin as he walked forward and placed a chaste kiss on her cheek. "I know it technically doesn't happen till midnight, but where's the surprise in that?" He waved a hand behind him, "Like what we've done with the place?"

Elena looked around the room, awe filling her gaze as she took in the silver streamers and balloons that decorated every inch of the Grill. A large "18" hung from the ceiling near the bar, directly behind a banner that proclaimed "HAPPY BIRTHDAY ELENA," in large silver letters.

"You..." she could feel tears gathering in her eyes, "You guys did this all for me?"

"Well, Matt and Tyler did most of the decorating," Caroline said with a smile, "Though I was the one that gave them specific instructions on what to do."

"Yeah," Tyler snorted, pulling a piece of paper out of his pocket and opening it. The long list began at this hand and ended some three feet later onto the floor. "_Specific _definitely describes your instructions."

"Oh shut up," Caroline said goodnaturedly, leaning over to give Tyler a kiss. "It wouldn't have looked this perfect if I hadn't told you two _guys _what to do."

Tyler and Matt exchanged glances before Matt rolled his eyes, "Yeah...that's probably true." He turned to Elena and slid an arm around her shoulders to lead her forward, "The Grill is all yours tonight. Consider it my gift to you." He steered her towards one of the tables, which was stacked high with wrapped presents. "Though you certainly have a lot of ones you can open, too."

Elena's vision blurred and she swiped a hand over her eyes, embarrassed. "You guys are gonna make me cry," she complained, laughing as she reached out to hug Matt. "Thank you," she whispered softly in his ear, "For doing all this. It means a lot that you...you know."

Matt tightened his arms around her, "Tyler told me everything that went down a couple weeks ago with that Klaus guy and my sister and everything...I know I wanted nothing to do with all this supernatural stuff, but you're still one of my oldest friends, Elena. You know I'd do anything for you."

Elena smiled as she released Matt and wiped away the rest of her tears. A smudge of black appeared on her finger and she groaned, "Well, there goes my makeup."

"Come on," Bonnie said kindly, "Let's go fix that while the rest of these guys bring out the food." She and Caroline both gestured to Elena, who followed them gratefully into the restroom in the back.

As Caroline helped her retouch her makeup, Elena stared at her curiously, "So, Matt is okay with you and Tyler?"

"I was surprised, too," Caroline admitted, "I don't know what Tyler said to him, but it must've been good."

"Hmm...and _speaking _of surprises," Elena raised an eyebrow pointedly, "That whole shopping date was a distraction?"

"Yup."

"And all the birthday plans for tomorrow like having a quiet dinner at my house...?"

"Decoy plans," Caroline replied promptly. "You only turn 18 once, Elena," she pointed out, "Might as well make the most of it."

Elena grinned, "You guys are the best." She jumped off the counter and smoothed down her outfit when she realized, "Oh! Was this outfit your gift to me? That's why you didn't want me to pay?"

"Actually, your outfit was a gift from someone else entirely," Caroline reached into her purse and pulled out a simple white card. She handed it to Elena, who quickly read over it.

_I'm sorry I wasn't able to stay for your 18th birthday, Elena  
>But finding my family was of utmost importance to me,<br>as I'm sure you will be able to understand.  
>I have no doubt that our paths will cross again someday,<br>though it will hopefully be under better circumstances.  
>Take care and be safe,<br>Elijah. _

"Can't say I expected that," Elena said, her chest tightening at the sentiment expressed in the note.

"We asked him to stay," Bonnie explained gently, "But you knew how much he wanted to get out of Mystic Falls." She smiled and held a hand out to her friend, "Ready to go back out there?"

Elena nodded, not trusting herself to speak. She let her friends lead her back into the restaurant, noticing that several of the square tables had been pushed together to create one long table in the middle of the room. A white tablecloth had been draped across it, and it was currently covered with every possible dish that she could imagine.

"The cooks have been at it all day," Damon explained, pulling a chair out for her, "Have a seat, birthday girl." Elena grinned back, a feeling of peace washing over her as she took her seat and dug into the extravagant meal.

* * *

><p><em>iii.<em>

* * *

><p>"This has been amazing, guys," Elena announced later that night as all the plates were being cleared away. "I don't even know what to say—"<p>

"Time to open the gifts!" Caroline interrupted excitedly, clapping her hands together. She shot an apologetic look at Elena, "There _is _cake, by the way. But I don't think we should do that till midnight. Come on," she stood up and began arranging chairs around the table of gifts. "Let's see what you got!"

Elena couldn't help but laugh as she followed her friend to the table and ran a hand along the pile. "I don't know if I even want to open them," she confessed, "They look so pretty all wrapped up!"

"I promise there's prettier things _inside_," Caroline winked, waiting until everyone else had taken seats around the table before she extracted a white, rectangular box from amidst the pile and handed it to Elena. "That one's from me and Tyler."

Elena shook it experimentally, flashing a smile in Tyler's direction as Caroline bounced over to her boyfriend and took a seat on his lap. "Hmm, feels kind of heavy," she said, undoing the ribbon and shaking the box open to reveal a sleek leather jacket. "Whoa," Elena gasped, running a hand along the material, "This is _gorgeous.._."

"It's because you're all badass now," Tyler offered teasingly, grinning when Elena flushed. She mouthed a 'thank you' in their direction before turning back around to contemplate which gift to open next.

To her bemusement, Katherine pointed at a silver giftbag, "That one's from me. Open it."

"Um," Elena hesitated, "Is it, ah, something dangerous?" When Katherine didn't answer, Elena shrugged and bravely pushed the tissue wrappings out of the way before pulling the object out. A startled laugh escaped her lips, "A curling iron?"

"Yes," Katherine said seriously, "Now you can look more like me."

"Just what we all need," Alaric muttered under his breath, earning a few laughs from the group.

Katherine ignored him and handed Elena a white envelope, "And this."

Elena cautiously tipped the contents of the envelope into the palm of her hand. "A plane ticket to Italy?" she frowned, "One way?"

"Look at the name."

"Katherine Pierce," Elena read out loud, "So your gift to me is..."

"Me leaving Mystic Falls," Katherine grinned, pocketing the ticket. "Admit it, that's the best birthday gift I could have given you."

Elena couldn't help the smile that tugged at her lips. "Yes," she agreed, "I think it is."

"Now mine," Bonnie pointed to a large gift wrapped in what looked like brown paper. Then, she reached into her purse and pulled out a small wooden vial. "This is the second part to it. Open that one first."

"Okay, now even I'm officially curious," Damon said, watching as Elena ripped the wrapping off the large gift. "What is it?"

Elena held it up, her expression bewildered, "A Welcome mat?" When Bonnie nodded, Elena blinked, "Oh...well, it'll look great on my porch Bonnie, thanks—"

Bonnie laughed, "Ah, but it's _magical, _Elena." She stood up and handed her friend the wooden vial. "It's a way to uninvite vampires from your home," she explained. "See, to be invited in, the vampire has to pass through your front door. If it's someone that you _don't _want to ever come in again, you wait until they leave and then sprinkle the powder from the vial over the mat." She grinned, "If the vampire shows up again, there'll be a forcefield that repels him—or her—away from your house."

There was a moment of silence.

"That," Jeremy declared, "Is awesome."

"Wow," Elena said, speechless. "That really is awesome, Bonnie. How'd you do it?"

"A witch never reveals her secrets," Bonnie winked, and returned to her seat. "Who's next?"

"Me," Jeremy quickly stepped in and handed Elena what felt suspiciously like a heavy book, "It's from me and Ric."

Elena looked over and smiled at Ric before unwrapping the gift in her hands. "A photo album?" Elena asked, laying it gingerly on the table before flipping it open. "Oh.." Her breath hitched when she saw the pictures inside it—Isobel from her college days, Ric from when he was married, Uncle John at previous family gatherings, her parents, Aunt Jenna, childhood pictures of her and Jeremy...

"I didn't want to make you cry," Jeremy hovered at her shoulder, wincing as Elena buried her face into his chest. "Okay, it's okay," he patted her back awkwardly, "I'm sorry—"

"No," she sniffled, "It's so thoughtful, Jer..." Elena turned to look at Alaric, "Thank you guys...you have no idea what this means to me..." Alaric nodded his head at her, giving her an understanding smile.

"Come on," Caroline said after a minute in a bright voice, "It's 11:55PM! Open your last present so we can go get the cake!"

Elena nodded quickly and reached over for the gift. She glanced upwards questioningly and Stefan gave her a small smile, "That one's from me. Be sure to look on the inside."

She slid the wrapping paper off to reveal a diamond encrusted journal. "Wow," she murmured, flipping to the the inside cover onto which there was an elegant gold engraving. "_Amare Sine Timore," _she read out loud, running her fingers along the script. "What does it mean?"

"It's a Latin phrase meaning _to love without fear_," Stefan quoted, "Flip to the back cover."

Elena obeyed, turning to the back to see her name engraved in the same golden script. _Property of Elena Gilbert. _"It's beautiful, Stefan," she said sincerely, "Thank you." She hesitated, biting her lip, "Is it from you and Damon?"

"No, just me," Stefan turned around to look at Damon—or, more accurately, Damon's empty chair. "Where did he go? I swear he was here a second ago..."

Elena's face fell, and Caroline quickly clapped her hands. "Never mind that, it's cake time!"

A minute later, Matt entered the room wheeling a cart with a glowing white cake on it. "This is from all of us," he said with a grin, "Eighteen candles, Elena. Remember to make a wish."

As her friends and family began singing Happy Birthday, she closed her eyes and smiled as the perfect wish entered her mind. Someone's watch struck midnight and she leaned forward to blow out her candles.

* * *

><p><em>iv.<em>

* * *

><p>"Oh god," Jeremy groaned an hour later, "I don't think I can move."<p>

"No one forced you to eat 3 huge pieces of cake," Bonnie chided with a loving grin as she leaned forward to kiss him on the cheek, "Can you stand?"

"But it was so good," Jeremy mumbled, swaying as he moved to his feet. "Is this what a food coma feels like?"

"Alright, I think it's time to get you home," Tyler clapped a hand on Jeremy's shoulder. "Come on, I'll drive—Matt, Ric, you guys want a ride?"

"My car is here, so I'll drive Bonnie," Caroline volunteered. She glanced at Elena, but Stefan shook his head at her. Elena sighed, gesturing for Caroline to go on without her. Several minutes later, the other seven people filed out the door, calling out their last minute 'happy birthdays.'

Matt paused, "I'm glad you had a good time, Elena." He nodded to Stefan, "Make sure you lock up? The keys are on the counter."

"Will do," Stefan answered, waiting until the door had closed before he turned to Elena. "Just sit here for a minute," he said to her, "Katherine and I will clean up the place." Elena nodded, closing her eyes as the two of them blurred around the room at super speed.

Within minutes, the place was spotless.

"I guess being a vampire has its perks," Elena acknowledged, "You guys ready to go?"

"There's something," Katherine began, reaching into her purse and pulling out an envelope. "I wanted your opinion on."

She handed it to Elena, who took it with a confused look. "You already showed me this," she said, "Your plane ticket to Italy."

"Read the name."

Elena glanced at it, her heart skipping a beat. _Stefan Salvatore_. "Oh." She shifted uncomfortably, setting the ticket down in the middle of the table. "What are you asking me, exactly?"

"Stefan needs to learn to control the blood lust, Elena," Katherine said, "I'm sure we can agree on that. He can't do that here, not in Mystic Falls. There's too much history...too many things have happened that will tempt him into becoming what he was with Klaus."

Elena took a deep breath, "I agree with that statement."

"You know I love him," Katherine said.

Stefan stayed silent.

"I know," Elena replied, her eyes narrowing. "In your own way...you do love him. So what?"

"You know I can help him," Katherine continued, "In a way that you, or Damon, or even Caroline can't. I'm not saying it'll take forever, Elena. Just a few months, maybe a year."

"Are you..." Elena tried to find the right words, "Asking my permission?"

Katherine glanced at Stefan, but he still didn't say anything. She stood up, "I'll wait in the car. Let you guys talk." Within seconds, she had whirled out the door.

"Elena..." Stefan finally spoke, "I'm not proud of the things I did...who I've become. That's not who I am."

"I know."

"Drinking your blood...against your will—hurting people that I cared about..." He looked up at her, the pain palpable in his eyes. "I need to fix this. Become myself again."

"I understand," Elena said quietly, "I'm proud of you—choosing that you want to change, become a better person. That already sounds like the Stefan I met...the one I fell in love with."

He met her gaze steadily, "I'll always love you."

"And I'll always love you."

* * *

><p><em>v.<em>

* * *

><p>"Thanks," Elena said as Stefan placed the pile of gifts onto the coffee table. They were left staring at each other in silence for a few moments until Katherine loudly beeped the horn from the driveway. Elena winced, "She's gonna wake up the whole neighborhood! What time is it anyway?" She squinted at the clock, "2 in the morning?"<p>

"I should go," Stefan smiled at her, a touch of sadness tinging his expression as he leaned forward to kiss her on the cheek. "Goodbye, Elena."

She returned the smile, "Goodbye Stefan. Oh and...good luck. In Italy." He nodded to her, closing the door quietly behind him. Elena sighed after he left, turning around to study the living room. She had been expecting to see Alaric and Jeremy passed out on the sofa, but it looked like that had already went to bed. Figures.

Doing her best to keep quiet, she switched off the light and climbed upstairs—freezing when she saw light emanating from behind the ajar door leading to her room. Elena slowly pushed the door open, her mouth dropping open in shock for the second time that night. Glowing candles surrounded her room, and a tiny round table that she never seen before stood next to her bed, holding a single bottle of champagne and two glasses.

"Sorry I had to leave early," Damon said from his position on her windowsill. Elena could only gape at him as he made his way across the room to her and handed her a single red rose. "Sit," he said, grabbing the champagne and gesturing towards the floor.

She finally found her voice, "I guess those wishes really do come true."

"What?"

"Nothing," Elena smiled tentatively and sat cross-legged next to him, watching as he poured out two glasses with a practiced hand. "What should we toast to?"

He tilted his head, considering. "To surviving another year," he said, his lips twisting into an ironic grin. "Because god knows that's hard to do in this town."

Elena laughed, clinking her glass against his. "I'll drink to that," she agreed, sipping at the bubbly liquid. After a second, she put the glass down and looked up at him. "Katherine and Stefan are heading to Italy."

"I know," Damon shrugged, "I think it'll be good for him. For a little while, at least."

"That's what I told them."

"They make quite a pair, huh?"

"I guess."

Damon studied her expression before standing up and offering her his hand. "I have a gift for you." Elena's lips curved upwards as she stood up and watched him walk over to the windowsill before coming back with two wrapped packages. He handed her a light rectangular one, "Open this one first."

She tugged off the paper, staring curiously at the front cover. "A sketchbook?" she inquired, "Well, I kinda suck at art, but—"

"Look inside."

Elena obediently flipped to the first page, and nearly dropped the book in surprise. "Y-you drew this?" she stammered, "You're an artist?"

"I dabble," Damon said simply, "What do you think?"

"I...can't believe it," Elena sat down on the bed, her legs feeling weak. Every single page depicted memories that she had of Damon, dating back to the day of their initial meeting—the first time she had seen him in the Salvatore house. The next picture was the two of them standing in her kitchen (drying dishes or something equally as mundane), and then there were several sketches of them in Georgia, followed by their dance at the Mystic Falls pageant. "Wow," Elena finished flipping through the book and laid it beside her, "I can't believe you drew all that...How did you remember..."

"I remember everything," Damon murmured, so softly that she almost didn't hear it. "Do you like it?"

"I love it," Elena corrected, looking up at him. "Thank you."

He took a seat next to her on the bed and handed her the second, smaller box. "This one's from all of us."

"All of you?"

"You'll see."

Elena carefully tore off the wrapping paper to reveal a square jewelry box. She raised her eyebrows at him, but he only nodded, silently urging her to open it. She undid the clasp and flipped the box open, her eyes widening at the stunning piece.

"Let me help you put it on," Damon offered, sliding the charm bracelet off the velvet encasing and clasping it around Elena's wrist. The light in the room bounced off the charms, causing them to shine brilliantly.

She held her wrist up, admiring it, "It's...breathtaking."

"I got the bracelet," Damon explained, "But everyone chose one of the charms." He held up her wrist with one of his hands so that they both had an unobstructed view of it. "The birthstone in the middle is from Jeremy and Alaric," he informed her, "They thought it was fitting." He paused, "Care to venture a guess at the other ones?"

"Sure," Elena examined the next charm with amusement. It was undeniably a tiny witch's hat. "Bonnie," she guessed with a smile. "And this other one looks like a wolf's head, which is kind of creepy...but sounds like Tyler." Damon grinned. "And this one next to it is a little blonde doll...very Caroline." She hesitated, staring at the next charm. "Is that a...tooth?"

"A fang," Damon corrected, raising his hands when Elena looked at him incredulously. "That one's from Elijah. I think he thought it would be funny. The man has a strange sense of humor, let me tell you."

"Oh, um, that's...sweet," Elena turned the bracelet around to see the last two charms hanging on the other side. "Oh, this one's pretty. A white lily? That's my favorite flower...Stefan always..." she trailed off, "It's from Stefan?"

Damon nodded, watching as she turned to look at the last charm. "That one's from me," he said unnecessarily.

Elena studied it carefully. It was a tiny red heart lined with silver. Upon closer inspection, however, she could see an old-fashioned key painted into the middle of it. "I love it," she said, glancing up at him. The intense look she had seen so often in his eyes had returned, but this time she didn't look away. "Does it..." she swallowed, "Have a particular significance?"

"You have my heart," Damon said softly, fingering the charm gently. "I wanted you to know that."

For what was probably the fifth time that night alone, Elena could feel tears well up in her eyes. "You have mine," she whispered, "My heart belongs to you. It always has." Damon stroked the tear off her face as she let out a sound halfway between a sob and a laugh, "I love you."

He smiled at her, "Took you long enough to figure it out."

"Yeah," she gave him a watery smile, "I've always been a little slow at these things."

Damon pulled her into his arms, his lips brushing lightly against hers. "Happy Birthday, Elena Gilbert," he murmured, coaxing her mouth open as he deepened the kiss. "I love you, too."

* * *

><p><strong>THE END<strong>

* * *

><p><strong>an- **wow, that's probably the longest chapter I've written—ever! haha but it was so much fun writing a chapter where they got to be normal teenagers and have a normal life that I just couldn't bring myself to stop =P anyway, I hope you enjoyed my take on Elena's 18th birthday, and hopefully I delivered the epic Delena ending you were waiting for! thank you to everyone who's been reading and reviewing, you guys mean the world to me! xoxo


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